As many as 43 passengers were injured when a private bus carrying labourers from Bihar to Chandigarh (Punjab) suddenly overturned on Agra-Lucknow Expressway in Bilhaur police station area on Thursday morning.
The incident took place at KM 214 of the expressway.
Security personnel of UP Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) and local police rescued the injured and sent them to the medical college at Tirwa in Kannauj. With the help of crane, the UPEIDA personnel got the damaged bus shifted to roadside and restored the movement of traffic.
Around 6 am, the bus overturned near Makanpur as the driver dozed off. Of the 68 passengers travelling in the bus, 43 were injured. At the time of the incident, most of the passengers were fast asleep.
The injured included Shailendra Kumar (50), Hari Narain (42) of Goat Parsai, Madhubani (Bihar); Kari Thakur of Khutauna, Madhubani; Santosh Kumar (30) of Supaul, Kishanpur Chhatrapati; Guddu Kumar (27) of Araria, Raniganj Koshikapur; Imrat Khatun (22) wife of Mohd Moin Shah of Narpatganj, Sheikh Tola Dumri; Manju Devi wife of Mukesh Kumar of Jhajhpatti, Madhubani; Kuldeep Mandal (45) of Hathauli and Mithlesh Kumar (28) of Lokahi, Kakar Dom who were admitted to the hospital. The condition of Shailendra Kumar was stated to be critical.
Passengers said that the bus remained stranded for about one hour in the rest area of Araul as its driver was feeling drowsy. Thereafter, he was replaced by another driver who also felt drowsy after driving for 10 minutes and lost control over the vehicle and overturned.
Bilhaur Kotwali Inspector Narendra Singh said as the spot of incident fell under Araul-Thathia police area of Kanpur, the police station concerned would take further action in the matter.
The name of the driver could not be ascertained, he said.