UNNAO: At least five people, including two children, were killed and eight others injured after a private sleeper bus crashed into a car and plunged off the Agra-Lucknow Expressway in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao on Wednesday, police said.The collision took place around 4.30am near Devkhari village in the Bangarmau police station area at kilometre marker 230 of the Agra-Lucknow Expressway. According to police, the sleeper bus was travelling from Haryana to Bihar when it crashed into an Ertiga approaching from the opposite direction.The impact caused the bus to lose control, crash through the expressway railing and plunge onto the road below. The Ertiga was extensively damaged in the collision.Police said all five occupants of the car — Dhunmun (60), Anju (40), Divya (6), Amrita (13) and the driver, Vinod (45) — died on the spot.Four other people, including occupants of the car and passengers on the bus, sustained injuries in the accident. They were rushed to a nearby hospital and are undergoing treatment.Bangarmau circle officer Harsh Modi said the preliminary investigation suggests the bus driver may have dozed off at the wheel, causing the collision. He added that the exact cause of the accident is still under investigation.Police and district administration officials rushed to the scene after being alerted about the accident and launched a rescue operation.The injured were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, while the bodies of the deceased were sent for post-mortem examination.District magistrate Ghanshyam Meena and superintendent of police Jai Prakash Singh also visited the accident site and directed officials to ensure all necessary measures were taken.(With agency inputs)
