Speeding truck runs over seven bus passengers

Seven passengers were killed on Monday and two others injured after being hit by a speeding truck while they were pushing a roadways bus which had broken down, police said.

The conductor of the bus, Amit Kumar Lodhi, a resident of Fatehpur, also died in the accident, Circle Officer Harraiya Rahul Pandey said.

The accident occurred near Bhadohi village in Chhavani area when a roadways bus going to Gorakhpur from Allahabad broke down near a roadside eatery. When the passengers were pushing the bus, they were hit by a speeding truck coming from behind, leaving six of them dead on the spot.

The injured persons were rushed to a hospital, where another person succumbed to injuries.

"The seven deceased persons have been identified as Indradev Verma (Basti), Awadhesh Kumar Pandey (Allahabad), Vivekanand Tiwari (Basti), Amit Kumar Lodhi (Fatehpur), Ramesh Yadav (Santkabirnagar), Pradeep (Siddharthanagar) and Shailendra (Siddharthanagar)," the circle officer said.

The driver of the truck fled from the spot after abandoning the vehicle at some distance.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed grief over the loss of lives.

He has directed officials to ensure that financial assistance is provided to the families of the deceased and injured persons as per rules, a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office said.

(With inputs from agencies.)