NEW DELHI: In a devastating accident on Tuesday morning, a bus and a TUV (Tough Utility Vehicle) Jeep collided head-on on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway near Ghaziabad, resulting in the deaths of six individuals and leaving two others critically injured.
According to the police, the bus driver, who was travelling in the wrong direction, has been taken into custody.
The victims of the accident were all members of the same family, and fortunately, there were no students on the bus at the time, as confirmed by the police.
“The bus driver (identified as Prem Pal) has been arrested. He was at complete fault as he was moving on the wrong side,” Kushwaha said.
The deceased have been identified as Narendra (45), his wife Anita (40), sons Deepanshu (15) and Himanshu (12), niece Vanshika (7) and sister-in-law Babita (35).
Narendra’s brother Dharmendra (40) and his son Kartik (5) sustained severe injuries and are undergoing treatment at a private hospital, police said.
The bus was attached to the Bal Bharti School in Noida, Additional DCP RK Kushwah said. “The bus driver was coming from the wrong direction after refuelling with CNG from Ghazipur in Delhi. The TUV was travelling from Meerut towards Gurugram,” Kushwah said.
“The fault lies with the bus driver, who had been travelling in the wrong direction from Delhi. He has been apprehended. The occupants of the car were members of the same family, and there were no students on the bus,” he added.
A video capturing the incident shows the school bus travelling at high speed, while the driver of the black-coloured TUV attempted to avoid the collision before the two vehicles collided head-on.
मुख्यमंत्री श्री @myogiadityanath जी महाराज ने जनपद गाजियाबाद में सड़क दुर्घटना में हुई जनहानि पर गहरा दुःख जताते हुए शोकाकुल परिजनों के प्रति अपनी संवेदनाएं व्यक्त की हैं।
महाराज जी ने दिवंगत आत्माओं की शांति और घायलों के शीघ्र स्वस्थ होने की कामना करते हुए जिला प्रशासन के…
— Yogi Adityanath Office (@myogioffice) July 11, 2023
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed his condolences over the tragic accident and directed local authorities to extend all possible assistance to the bereaved families and injured individuals.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed grief over the loss of lives in the accident. In a tweet in Hindi, his office said, “#UPCM @myogiadityanath has expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives in the road accident in district Ghaziabad.”
The chief minister has instructed officials of the district administration to immediately take the injured to a hospital and provide them with proper treatment. He also wished for the speedy recovery of the injured, the tweet said.