Greater Noida Bus Fire: Victim's Son Says Father Still Missing, Faults Bus Agency

A bus travelling from Delhi to Mahoba caught fire on the Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida late on Wednesday night, leaving nine passengers dead and 20 rescued, even as one family continues to search for a missing member.

More than 35 people were on board the Bihar-registered bus when it was engulfed in flames. Dense smoke made it difficult for passengers to escape, according to accounts of the incident.

Sarvoday Bharadwaj, whose parents were on the bus, said he spoke to them around 10 pm and found everything normal. By 6 am, he said, the bus could no longer be tracked and both their phones were switched off.

His mother managed to get out during the commotion but fell and was injured as other passengers climbed over her in the chaos. She is hospitalised with an eye injury and a fractured rib. His father, who has a rod in his leg from an earlier surgery, could not move quickly and remains missing.

"My grandmother passed away yesterday. My parents were travelling to be with the family when this tragedy happened," Sarvoday said, adding that he felt safe as long as his father was there and now has nothing left.

He alleged that when he contacted the bus company, it did not share any information about the bus or the accident. "I kept asking the bus agency, 'At least give me a number so I can find out where my parents are.' But they did not cooperate," he said.

Sarvoday also said the compensation announced for the victims is inadequate and called for a probe into how the fire started, how quickly it spread and whether the exit door was locked. Preliminary investigation indicated the fire originated from a blast in the bus's air conditioning system, which ignited the engine's lubricating oil and caused the flames to spread rapidly.