Lucknow, The death toll in the bus accident that took place in Kannauj on Wednesday morning rose to 18 by the evening, with one more passenger of the ill-fated vehicle succumbing to his injuries, police said.
Thirty others injured in the mishap have been admitted to various hospitals where the condition of two continues to be critical.
The accident took place near Etawah cut on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway when the driver of the private double-decker bus apparently dozed off, causing the vehicle to overturn and hit the divider.
The bus was coming from Rajasthan’s capital city Jaipur and was headed to Chhibramau in Kannauj district.
Most of the passengers were daily wagers working in Jaipur. They were heading home for the Eid festival, the police added.
The bus belonged to a private transport company of Farrukhabad district and was packed beyond capacity as some passengers were also sitting on its roof.
Former UP Chief Minister and one-time Lok Sabha MP from Mainpuri, Mulayam Singh Yadav, visited the injured persons and had a first-hand account of the accident from them.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced a financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each to those seriously injured in the accident.