Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered immediate financial aid of Rs 2 lakh for the families of those who lost their lives in the recent Kannauj accident, and Rs 50,000 for those who suffered serious injuries, as stated by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).
This announcement follows a tragic incident where eight people died and at least 19 others were injured after a double-decker bus collided with a water tanker on the Lucknow-Agra Expressway on Friday. The bus was en route to Delhi from Lucknow at the time of the crash.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed his condolences regarding the accident, announcing an ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured.
In a message on X, the Prime Minister’s Office stated, “Saddened by the loss of lives in the bus accident in Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh. Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon. The local administration is assisting those affected.”
Superintendent of Police (SP) Amit Kumar reported that the collision occurred while the bus was traveling from Lucknow to Delhi. Emergency services arrived promptly at the scene, where eight fatalities were confirmed and 19 injured individuals were taken for treatment at Saifai Medical College.
Kannauj District Magistrate Shubhrant Kumar Shukla, SP Amit Kumar, and Tirwa MLA Kailash Rajput were present at the scene to oversee rescue efforts.
This accident marked the second significant road incident in Uttar Pradesh within a span of five hours. Earlier on Friday, six people died and five others were injured in a separate accident in Chitrakoot, where an SUV collided head-on with a truck on the Jhansi-Mirzapur highway around 5:30 a.m.
Additionally, in Pilibhit, six people lost their lives when a car carrying a wedding party crashed into a tree and fell into a ditch around midnight. The car, which had 11 occupants, lost control while attempting to overtake another vehicle on the Pilibhit-Tanakpur road.
The victims, all from Khatima district in Uttarakhand, were returning from a wedding in Chandoi village. The deceased have been identified as Munni (65), Manzoor Ahmed (60), Bahiuddin (55), Sharif Ahmed (60), Sahe Alam (35), and Rakim (11). Three injured individuals were referred to a higher medical facility, while the others received initial treatment at a local hospital.