Kannauj bus accident: 20 feared dead, 21 critical after sleeper coach with 70 onboard hits truck; cops say bodies charred beyond recognition, DNA test necessary

As many as 20 passengers travelling in a private sleeper bus were feared burned to death in Kannauj district of Uttar Pradesh after the bus collided head on with a truck near Chiloi village on Friday night.There were around 70 passengers in the bus which was on its way to Jaipur from Farrukhabad, police said.According to The Times of India, the truck involved in the accident was carrying some inflammable material.The Inspector General, Kanpur range, Mohit Agarwal said that the damage to the vehicle was so extensive that a DNA test needed to be conducted to ascertain the passengers’ identities and the exact toll."The bodies are badly burned, their bones are scattered so, only a DNA test will determine the death toll. Prima facie bodies of 8-10 people seem to be on the bus but the damage is so extensive that casualties can be determined only through DNA test," said Agarwal.Another 21 passengers, who sustained severe burn injuries, were rescued and admitted to a local hospital.Taking cognisance of the accident, chief minister Yogi Adityanath instructed the district magistrate and the Kannauj superintendent of police to reach the spot immediately and provide medical assistance to the injured passengers.He announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each to the injured.On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed his condolences to the affected families of the incident."Saddened to know about the serious road accident in Uttar Pradesh's Kannauj. Many people have lost their lives in this accident. I express my condolences to the families of the dead, I wish the injured a speedy recovery," Modi tweeted.According to an eyewitness the bus was packed to capacity when the accident took place. Three to four fire engines were rushed to the spot to douse the fire in both the vehicles, NDTV reported.NDTV quoted the eyewitness as saying, "There were many travellers. Only 10 to 12 could get out of the bus. The bus was absolutely packed. Other than the 10 to 12 who could get off the bus, everyone else was inside."With inputs from PTI