Lucknow, 15 May (HS): At least 19 people, including women and

children, were killed and scores injured in a series of traffic accidents

across Uttar Pradesh on Thursday, with significant occurrences occurring in

Lucknow, Hardoi, and Balrampur. The

recent series of incidents led Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to direct

officials to speed rescue and medical assistance. A private bus on Kisan Path

in Mohanlalganj on the outskirts of Lucknow caught fire early Thursday morning,

killing five people, including two children.

The bus, transporting over 80 people from Begusarai (Bihar) to Delhi,

caught fire at 5 a.m., apparently owing to a short circuit in the gearbox,

according to Assistant Commissioner of Police Rajneesh Verma.

The

fire spread quickly while most people were sleeping. Five passengers, Lakkhi

Devi (55), Soni Mahto (26), Devraj (3), Sakshi (2), and Madhusudan (21) were

unable to be saved despite fast response by firemen, according to authorities. Several

more had burn injuries and were hospitalized. An initial police investigation

indicated that the bus’s emergency escape had malfunctioned, trapping people in

the back part of the vehicle. Chief Minister Adityanath expressed his

condolences over the event and urged officials to ensure the victims received

quick care.

Around

9:45 a.m., an autorickshaw collided with a dumper truck in Hardaul Mau hamlet

in Hardoi district, killing six and badly injuring three. According to authorities, the vehicle was

carrying nine people as it traveled from Bangarmau to Sandila.

Ranjit

Rathore (25), Ankit Kumar (20), Arvind (20), Phool Jahan (24), Nisar (40), and

a lady identified as Bitana (25) died.

The injured — Siraj (26), Ayaz (2), and Jugnu (7) — were brought to

Sandila Community Health Centre (CHC) and then transferred to Lucknow, where

Ayaz’s condition is severe, according to police.

Hardoi

Superintendent of Police Neeraj Kumar Jadaun stated that the dumper fled the

scene, and a manhunt is ongoing. Legal

actions have commenced, and the bodies have been submitted for postmortem, he

stated. In a second incident, a vehicle collided with a speeding truck on the

Balrampur-Tulsipur National Highway, killing five members of a family returning

from a wedding during the wee hours.

The

vehicle crashed into the automobile in Chakwa village, killing five people and

badly injuring eight more. The injured were sent to the District Memorial

Hospital. Balrampur District Magistrate Pawan Agarwal and SP Vikas Kumar

visited the hospital and instructed that the injured receive the best possible

care. Adityanath expressed grief and wished the injured a swift recovery.

In

Sonbhadra, a truck collided with a motorcycle carrying an elderly couple and

their kid at the Varanasi-Shaktinagar DM office. Amrit Oraon (62) and his wife Mantorni Devi

(57), both of Kachnarwa village, were slain on the spot. Their son, Dharmendra

Kumar, who was riding the bike, was critically hurt and is receiving treatment

at the district hospital. Police stated

the truck driver had been apprehended.

Om

Prakash Agrahari, 70, was murdered in Amethi’s Musafirkhana region after a

speeding automobile crashed into his e-rickshaw near Kanakoopur hamlet. Police

claimed they confiscated the automobile and began legal actions, but the driver

is still at large.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi