Kanpur: Three people, including a man who was going to attend the last rites of his father-in-law, were killed and a bus conductor was critically injured after being run over by an UPSRTC bus as they stepped out of it following a minor collision with a truck on the Kanpur-Lucknow National Highway early Saturday.The accident occurred around 2.30 am when the bus, travelling from Ayodhya to Kanpur, collided with the truck coming from the opposite direction. Police said the impact was minor, and no one was injured in the initial collision. Passengers got off the bus to inspect the damage.According to police, three passengers and the conductor were standing near the vehicles when the driver suddenly moved the bus forward, trapping all four beneath it.After realising he had crushed people under the bus, the driver jumped off the bus and fled the scene.After receiving information, police rushed the injured to the district hospital, where doctors declared three of them dead. The 48-year-old bus conductor is undergoing treatment and remains in critical condition.Police said one of the deceased, Ramnaresh, was travelling to Kanpur to attend the last rites of his father-in-law, who had died on Friday. He was accompanied by his wife, Neelam, and their 12-year-old daughter, who survived the accident.Traffic was restored after the damaged bus and dumper were removed, and the remaining passengers were sent on their way in another bus.Dahi police station senior sub-inspector Pankaj Sonkar said police have recorded the statements of passengers and are investigating the circumstances that led to the incident. The conductor will be questioned after his condition stabilises, while efforts are underway to trace the absconding driver.
