18 Killed, 19 Injured in Bus-Tanker Collision on Lucknow-Agra Expressway

At least 18 people lost their lives and 19 sustained injuries in a road accident on Wednesday morning, when a sleeper bus collided with a milk tanker on the Lucknow-Agra expressway in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao district.

"Today at around 5:15 AM, a private bus from Motihari, Bihar collided with a milk tanker. 18 people have died and 19 others are injured. Preliminary findings suggest the bus was overspeeding,” said Unnao District Magistrate Gaurang Rathi.

The collision occurred near Gadha village as the bus, en route from Bihar to Delhi, attempted to overtake the tanker. The impact caused the bus to overturn. Most of the passengers were migrant workers. Authorities swiftly responded to the scene. Circle Officer Arvind Chaurasia led police efforts in initiating rescue operations. The injured were promptly transported to nearby hospitals, with three reported to be in critical condition.Two victims have been identified so far: Rajnish Kumar and Mohd Shamim, both from Bihar. The process of identifying other victims is ongoing.

"18 people have lost their lives and 19 are injured. The injured are being transferred to higher-level hospitals. We are in contact with the Bihar government as most of the injured are from there,” said Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak.

President Droupadi Murmu condoled the loss of lives and said, "The news of the death of many people in a road accident on the Lucknow-Agra Expressway in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh is extremely sad."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also offered his condolences and announced financial assistance. “The road accident in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh is extremely painful. My condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in this. May God give them strength in this difficult time. Along with this, I wish for the speedy recovery of the injured. Under the supervision of the state government, the local administration is engaged in helping the victims in every possible way,” posted the Prime Minister on “X”.

“The news of the death of 18 people in a tragic road accident on the Lucknow-Agra Expressway in Unnao, UP is very sad. We express our deepest condolences to the bereaved families of the victims. We wish for the speedy recovery of all those injured in the accident. The administration is requested not to leave any stone unturned in helping the victims. An appeal is made to the workers of INDIA parties to provide all possible help to the victims,” said Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge.

Local authorities have established helpline numbers (0515-2970767, 9651432703, 9454417447, 8887713617, 8081211289) and continue to coordinate rescue and relief efforts. The cause of the accident remains under investigation.​