Seven persons were charred to death when an Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) bus caught fire in Amethi district on Tuesday. Eleven other persons injured in the incident were admitted to the District Hospital in Sultanpur of which four were referred to the Trauma Centre in King George’s Medical University here where their condition was stated to be serious.
Unconfirmed reports said nine persons died in the incident which took place near Sansaripur under Peeparpur police station limits in Amethi district at around 9.30 a.m. An inquiry has been ordered with the Additional District Magistrate (City) of Amethi assigned the responsibility.
The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Preliminary reports said that the blaze was caused when the bus came in contact with an overhead hightension wire. The presence of a cooking gas cylinder in the charred remains of the bus raised suspicion that the fire was caused by an explosion in the cylinder.
State IG ( Law and Order ) Deepak Ratan told journalists that a 5 kg cylinder was found in the bus.
The IG said since an inquiry has been ordered the exact reason would be known after the probe is completed.
The bus was travelling from Allahabad to Faizabad when the incident occurred. While some passengers escaped by jumping from the bus, the seven persons who were sitting in the rear end were burnt alive. Fire tenders were pressed into service and the blaze was contained after some time.
The deceased and the injured belonged to Sultanpur and Faizabad districts. The identity of the deceased could not be established immediately.
Expressing grief over the tragedy, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav announced a compensation of Rs. 5 lakh for the next of the kin of the deceased, Rs. 1 lakh each for the seriously injured and Rs. 50,000 each to those who suffered minor burns.
