Engine Oil Fire, Thick Smoke: What Caused Sleeper Bus Fire That Killed 9 On Yamuna Expressway

Nine people were killed after a spark in a sleeper bus’s air-conditioning system set engine lubricating oil on fire, triggering a blaze on the Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida, police said. The Bihar-registered bus was carrying 35 passengers from Noida to Mahoba when the fire broke out around 11 PM on Wednesday near Dayanatpur village in Jewar.

Greater Noida police said a spark or blast in the bus’s AC caused the engine oil to catch fire. The flames spread quickly. Police officers and fire teams later launched a rescue operation at the spot. The driver and conductor fled before police reached the site but were later caught, police said.

Passengers Raised Alarm

A few passengers smelled something burning after the bus entered the Yamuna Expressway and asked the driver to stop, Jewar station house officer Ajay Kumar Singh said, reported Hindustan Times.

“By the time the driver stopped the vehicle, the fire broke out and quickly engulfed the vehicle. There were 35 passengers onboard. Nine people, including a woman, failed to escape,” Singh said.

A passenger who escaped told ANI, as reported by Hindustan Times, “I was sleeping when someone woke me up saying the bus had caught fire, and we all scrambled to get out. It was not an easy situation to escape, there was a lot of smoke. We somehow managed to get out. The bus was packed with passengers.”

Police Rescue Operation

Chief fire officer of Gautam Buddh Nagar Pradeep Kumar said the bus was travelling from Kashmere Gate in Delhi towards Mahoba when it suddenly caught fire near the 33-kilometre milestone on the Yamuna Expressway, within Jewar police station limits.

Senior police officers, local police teams, rescue tenders and four fire service units reached the spot and began firefighting and rescue operations.

Kumar said 20 to 25 people were rescued from the bus. Nine people were later found dead inside the vehicle and had died due to burns and suffocation.

Police were working to identify the deceased. An FIR was registered under relevant sections, and the driver and conductor were taken into custody. Kumar added that the fire started in the engine area and intensified quickly because of fuel.

Compensation Announced

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed condolences to the families of those killed. He spoke to the victims’ families, directed officers to provide all possible help and ordered proper medical treatment for those injured.

Adityanath announced an ex-gratia payment of ₹2 lakh each for the families of those killed and ₹50,000 each for those injured. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condoled the deaths and announced ₹2 lakh for the families of the deceased and ₹50,000 for the injured.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta wrote on X that she was “deeply anguished” by the tragedy.

“In this hour of hardship, my deepest condolences are with the bereaved families. I pray to God to grant peace to the departed souls and a swift recovery to the injured,” she wrote.