Greater Noida: At least nine people were killed and several others injured after a sleeper passenger bus caught fire while travelling on the Yamuna Expressway near Noida International Airport in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday morning. The deceased include eight men and one woman. The bus was reportedly carrying between 30 and 40 passengers when the fire broke out.
The blaze spread rapidly through the moving bus, filling the vehicle with thick smoke and leaving passengers scrambling to escape. Several passengers reportedly struggled to reach the exit as panic and confusion gripped the bus.
Passenger recalls terrifying moments
A passenger who survived the incident described the chaos inside the bus as the fire spread. She said she was asleep when another passenger raised the alarm by banging on the door. By the time she woke up, smoke had already begun filling the bus and passengers were rushing towards the exit. “I was asleep when someone banged on the door. When I woke up, there was already a huge crowd,” the passenger said.
She said she abandoned her belongings and escaped with only her phone. “I didn’t even put on my shoes. I just grabbed my phone and stepped out,” she recalled. According to the passenger, visibility inside the bus deteriorated rapidly as thick smoke filled the vehicle. People struggled to breathe and pushed against one another while trying to get out. “It was so smoky that nothing was visible. People were suffocating inside,” she said, adding that only a few passengers managed to escape amid the chaos.
Yogi Adityanath directs officials to ensure treatment
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took note of the incident and expressed condolences to the families of those who died. According to the Chief Minister’s Office, Yogi directed officials to ensure proper medical treatment for all those injured in the incident. He also instructed officials to provide all possible assistance to the families of the deceased and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
Rescue operation underway
Emergency teams, including fire personnel and investigators, reached the spot after the bus caught fire. Firefighters worked to bring the blaze under control while rescue teams assisted passengers and shifted the injured to hospitals.
The exact number of passengers injured in the incident is yet to be confirmed. Officials are also investigating the cause of the fire and examining the circumstances leading up to the incident. Further details are awaited as the rescue and investigation operations continue.
