KANPUR: Three passengers died and a bus conductor was injured late Friday night in Unnao after an SRTC bus ran over its own passengers on the Kanpur-Lucknow highway near the Purwa Bypass turn in the Dahi police station area, police said.The incident occurred at around 2.30 am after the bus, travelling from Ayodhya to Kanpur, collided with a dumper coming from the opposite direction. Police said no one was injured in the collision as both vehicles were moving at a slow speed, and several passengers got down to inspect the damage to the bus and the dumper.According to police, three passengers and the conductor were standing between the bus and the dumper examining the damage when the driver suddenly moved the bus forward. All four came under the bus. The driver fled the spot after the incident.The deceased were identified as Rajendra (40), Ramnaresh (40), and another person whose identity is yet to be established. Conductor Indrapal Singh (48) sustained serious injuries and is undergoing treatment.Other passengers alerted the Police Control Room. Police rushed the injured to the district hospital, where doctors declared three of them dead.Among the deceased was Ramnaresh, who was travelling to Kanpur to attend the last rites of his father-in-law, who had died on Friday afternoon.He was travelling with his wife, Neelam, and their 12-year-old daughter. Following the accident, both were inconsolable.Police restored traffic flow and removed the damaged bus and dumper from the road. The remaining passengers were sent onward in another bus. An investigation has been initiated.Dahi police station SSI Pankaj Sonkar said, “We are trying to ascertain the circumstances under which the bus driver moved the vehicle forward and determine whose negligence led to the accident. Statements of the passengers have been recorded. The conductor will be questioned once his condition improves. The search for the driver is ongoing.”
