2 kids among 5 killed in UP bus blaze

LUCKNOW: Five people died early Thursday after a private sleeper bus caught fire on Kisan Path near Mohanlalganj on Lucknow’s outskirts while en route from Bihar’s Begusarai to Delhi with 80 passengers aboard. The casualties included two sibling kids and a mother-daughter duo.

Flames erupted around 4.40am. Eyewitnesses saw smoke fill the cabin followed by a rapid spread of fire. Locals rushed to rescue passengers as bus staff fled without raising alarm.

Emergency exit failed to open, police said, forcing most passengers to smash windows to escape. Five seated at the rear were unable to get out and died in the fire. Victims — all from Bihar — were identified as Lakkhi Devi, 55, and daughter Soni, 26, of Samastipur; siblings Devaraj, 4, and Sakshi, 2, of Sitamarhi; and Madhusudan of Begusarai.

UP CM Yogi Adityanath announced Rs 4 lakh compensation to families of the deceased & expressed condolences. Seven LPG cylinders were found onboard but none exploded. Initial probe pointed to an engine-area short circuit as the cause. UP transport minister Daya Shankar Singh promised strict action. “This bus had no valid permit or fitness certificate since Oct 2023. An inquiry is underway,” Singh said.