UP Roadway’s Pink Bus hits tractor trolley, 11 injured at Yamuna Expressway

Eleven passengers were injured when a Pink Bus of the UP Roadways hit a tractor trolley and overturned on the Yamuna Expressway near Zero Point in Greater Noida on Thursday morning. While most injuries were minor, two were admitted to hospital.

According to police, at around 6am, the bus was trying to overtake the tractor when the accident happened.

The bus with 25 passengers and five staff was travelling from Gorakhpur to Delhi via Kanpur, Lucknow, Agra and Noida. Some passengers said that they were sleeping when the accident took place.

Manish Kumar, a resident of Lucknow, said that he had boarded the bus at 7pm Wednesday from Lucknow for Noida. “We were expected to reach Noida at 7am. It was early morning and I was getting ready to deboard at Noida when suddenly, the bus hit the tractor and it overturned on the expressway,” Kumar said.

“All the passengers were trapped inside the bus and the police later rescued us and sent to hospital. I have received three stitches on my head, besides injuries on my knees and hands,” he said from Yathartha Hospital in Greater Noida.

Kimat Lal, another passenger, said that he had boarded the bus at Kanpur at 9:30pm. “I had put on my shoes and collected my luggage to get down in Noida. Suddenly, there was a bang and the bus overturned. I have received injuries in the chest but escaped from any severe injury,” said Lal, who works in a garment export company in Noida.

When bus driver Kallu was pulled out from the bus, he had lost consciousness. He was rushed to the hospital with other passengers. Fortunately, his injuries were minor too.

Once he regained consciousness, Kallu said that the tractor trolley loaded with bricks was ahead of the bus. “Another bus hit mine (from the rear). I then lost control and hit the trolley,” he said.

The passengers could not corroborate the presence of the second bus, but sub-inspector Pushpendra Dixit said that there was no other bus and that the accident happened when the bus tried to overtake the trolley.

Bricks from trolley, whose driver Ajay Kumar too escaped with minor injuries, were strewn all over the Yamuna Expressway, affecting traffic for 30 minutes. In the meantime, the police team called in help to clear the road of the wreckage and debris.

Ram Kumar Sharma, UPSRTC’s accident officer (Durghatna Lipik) also reached the hospital to initiate an enquiry into the matter. He said he will file a complaint in this regard. Gul Mohammad, spokesperson Yathartha Hospital, said that nine persons were released from hospital after treatment. “Two male patients are admitted to hospital for their chest injuries,” he said.

The UP government had launched air-conditioned Pink Buses in 2017 for women under Nirbhaya Fund. However, later men accompanying women were also allowed to board the bus.

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