Road accident in UP's Siddharthnagar claims 3 lives, 24 left injured

Three people were killed and 24 sustained injuries after a bus fell into a drain while trying to avoid hitting a cyclist here on Friday evening, police said.

The bus, which had 53 people on board, was on its way to Siddharthnagar from Balrampur. They said The incident occurred in the Dhebaruwa area of Siddharthnagar district.

According to Superintendent of Police Prachi Singh, the driver lost control of the bus while trying to save a cyclist. However, the bus hit the cycle before falling into the drain near Chargahwa, police said.

Two passengers, including a teenager, and the cyclist died in the accident, she said.

Information regarding the accident was received at around 6 pm. The local police, with the help of locals, rescued the passengers trapped in the bus.

"Three people, including a teenager, died in the accident which occurred when the driver tried to avoid hitting a cyclist," she said.

The cyclist was identified as Mangni Ram, 50, a resident of Khurhuria, while the two passengers were Ajay Verma, 14, and Gamma, 65, both residents of Mohankola village, according to the police.

Additionally, more than two dozen people were injured and are receiving treatment at CSC Barhni and the district hospital in Siddharthnagar, the SP added.

Meanwhile, in another incident reported from Pratapgarh, 20 people were injured when a vehicle overturned in the Baghrai area, 60 km from the Pratapgarh district headquarters.

Circle Officer (CO) Amar Nath Gupta said sanitation workers from Kunda Nagar Panchayat were on their way to Baghrai to attend a woman's funeral when the accident occurred near Avatarpur as the driver tried to avoid colliding with an oncoming motorcycle.

Gupta added that all the injured were taken to the Community Health Centre in Baghrai.