Noida, The driver and conductor of the bus that caught fire on the Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida ignored a burning smell and refused to stop the vehicle despite repeated warnings from passengers, according to an FIR lodged based on a passenger’s complaint.
Nine passengers were killed after a bus travelling from Delhi to Mahoba in Uttar Pradesh caught fire late Wednesday night on the Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida. Kumar stated that he and several other passengers managed to jump out, while some remained trapped inside. The FIR was registered at the Jewar police station on the complaint of Suneel Kumar, a resident of Hamirpur district, who said he boarded the Raj Kalpana Travels bus from Kashmere Gate in Delhi around 9 pm on Wednesday. There were around 30-35 passengers on board, he said.
Nine passengers lost their lives due to burns and suffocation in the incident, according to the police.
By the time the bus stopped, the fire had spread and the vehicle was filled with smoke, the complaint said. The complaint alleged that the driver and conductor’s “deliberate, gross negligence, rashness and reckless disregard” for passenger safety resulted in the deaths. It also said passengers’ bags, luggage and mobile phones, including belongings kept in the luggage compartment and on the roof, were destroyed in the fire. The driver and the conductor of the bus have been detained and further investigation is underway, the police said in a statement.
