Greater Noida Bus Fire: Passengers Of Ill-fated Vehicle, Eyewitnesses Recall Moments Of Horror; 9 Killed So Far

· Free Press Journal

Greater Noida: Panic spread among passengers after a double-decker bus caught fire on the Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida, leaving nine people, including a woman, dead and several others injured. Survivors and eyewitnesses have now recounted the moments of chaos as passengers struggled to escape the smoke-filled vehicle.

Survivors Recall Chaos After Fire Broke Out

One survivor said he was asleep when another passenger suddenly woke him up and informed him that the bus had caught fire. “We all scrambled to get out. It was not an easy situation to escape from; there was a lot of smoke. We somehow managed to get out in a state of panic,” he said, adding that the bus was packed with passengers.

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An injured woman being treated at a hospital said she had been travelling to Mahoba after her mother-in-law died. She said her husband was travelling with her but she did not know where he was following the fire. The woman was seen receiving treatment with several bandages, including one on her head.

Eyewitness Baba Durjan, a resident of Sewada village located less than a kilometre from the accident site, said he saw flames coming from the roof of the bus. He claimed that he reached the spot within around 10 minutes.

“Within 10 minutes, at least 3,000 to 4,000 people had gathered here,” Durjan said, adding that police, fire brigade personnel and other emergency teams arrived within the following 10 to 20 minutes.

Passenger Alleges Warnings Were Ignored

Meanwhile, a passenger has alleged that the tragedy occurred after the driver and conductor ignored warnings about a burning smell inside the bus. According to the complaint filed by passenger Sunil Kumar, he had boarded a Raj Kalpana Travels bus at Delhi’s Kashmere Gate to travel to Rath in Hamirpur district.

Kumar said around 30-35 passengers were aboard when the bus reached near kilometre 33 of the Yamuna Expressway on the Noida-Agra carriageway at around 11.30 pm on Wednesday. Passengers allegedly noticed a strong smell of something burning from the driver’s cabin and alerted the driver and conductor.

Greater Noida Bus Fire: Driver-Conductor Laughed After Passengers Raised Alert, Both Kept Smoking & Told Them 'Marna Hai Toh Maro'

The complaint alleges that the driver dismissed the warning, saying such a smell was common in the bus, and continued driving without stopping to inspect the vehicle. It further alleges that the driver and conductor were smoking bidis or cigarettes inside the cabin.

Soon after, flames reportedly erupted near the driver's seat. As passengers shouted and asked the driver to stop, the two allegedly laughed and told them, “Marna hai toh maro, bus nahi rokenge” (If you want to die, then die, we will not stop the bus).

Greater Noida Bus Fire: 9 Charred To Death After Double-Decker Bus Catches Fire On Yamuna Expressway, Several Passengers Escape | Video

The fire quickly spread, filling the bus with smoke. Kumar said he and several others managed to escape by jumping out after the vehicle stopped, while some passengers remained trapped inside.

The injured were taken to Kailash Hospital in Jewar, where doctors declared nine people dead. Police have registered an FIR and are investigating the cause of the fire as well as the allegations of negligence against the driver and conductor.

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