Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday expressed grief at the deaths in the road accident that took place in Mathura late Sunday night and prayed for the speedy recovery of those injured.

“The chief minister expressed his deep grief over the loss of lives in the road accident in the Mathura district. Wishing peace to the departed soul, he expressed condolences to the bereaved family members,” an official release said on Monday.

It may be mentioned that a bus moving at a high speed overturned on Yamuna Expressway leading to the death of three persons late on Sunday night. Police said more than 20 persons were critically injured and the death toll was likely to go up. Passengers claimed that the bus driver was drunk and was driving recklessly.

The grievously injured passengers have been referred to SN Medical College and Hospital at Agra. The Bihar-bound bus was carrying passengers from New Delhi. Surir police said the accident happened late on Sunday night in Mathura district. The first responders were the Yamuna Expressway staffers who rushed to the spot to carry out our rescue operation.

Along with the help of local people, they immediately moved the injured to the district hospital in an ambulance. The seriously injured bus passengers were rushed to SN Medical College and Hospital for medical care. The identity of the deceased was not known. Police sent the bodies for autopsy.

Mathura District Magistrate Pulkit Khare said they were trying to ascertain the identity of the deceased.

The injured who were referred to Agra hospital have been identified as 10-year-old Arun, 25-year-old Shivaji Rao, 21-year-old Virendra Ram, 55-year-old Lilavati, Ram Chandra, and 6-year-old Aditya Kumar.

It is still not clear how the bus overturned and whether it hit any other vehicle, the district magistrate said. Police suspect over speeding to have caused the accident. The driver lost control of the vehicle which led to its overturning, police said.