<p>Lucknow: At least 19 people, including women and children, lost their lives and dozens were injured in multiple road accidents in several parts of Uttar Pradesh, with major incidents taking place in Lucknow, Hardoi and Balrampur districts.</p>.<p>The spate of accidents prompted Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to instruct officials to expedite relief and medical response.</p>.<p>Five passengers, including two children, were killed when a private bus caught fire on Kisan Path near Mohanlalganj on the outskirts of Lucknow early Thursday morning. The bus, carrying nearly 80 passengers and travelling from Begusarai (Bihar) to Delhi, caught fire around 5 am, allegedly due to a short circuit in the gearbox, according to Assistant Commissioner of Police Rajneesh Verma.</p>.<p>The blaze spread rapidly while most passengers were asleep. Though firefighters reached the spot promptly, five passengers -- Lakkhi Devi (55), Soni Mahto (26), Devraj (3), Sakshi (2), and Madhusudan (21) -- could not be saved, police said.</p>.<p>Several others sustained burn injuries and were hospitalized.</p>.<p>Initial police probe revealed that the bus's emergency exit had malfunctioned, trapping passengers in the rear section.</p>.<p>Chief Minister Adityanath expressed grief over the incident and directed officials to ensure immediate treatment for the injured.</p>.<p>In Hardoi district, six people were killed and three seriously injured after an autorickshaw collided with a dumper truck near Hardaul Mau village around 9:45 am. The auto, travelling from Bangarmau to Sandila, was carrying nine passengers, police said.</p>.<p>Among the deceased were Ranjit Rathore (25), Ankit Kumar (20), Arvind (20), Phool Jahan (24), Nisar (40), and a woman identified as Bitana (25). The injured -- Siraj (26), Ayaz (2), and Jugnu (7) -- were rushed to Sandila Community Health Centre (CHC) and later referred to Lucknow, where Ayaz's condition remains critical, police said.</p>.<p>Hardoi Superintendent of Police Neeraj Kumar Jadaun said the dumper fled the scene and a manhunt is underway. Legal proceedings have begun and the bodies have been sent for postmortem, he said.</p>.<p>In a separate incident, a collision between a car and a speeding truck on the Balrampur-Tulsipur National Highway claimed the lives of five members of a family returning from a wedding late Wednesday night.</p>.<p>The truck rammed into the car near Chakwa village, leaving five people dead and eight others seriously injured. The injured were taken to the District Memorial Hospital. Balrampur District Magistrate Pawan Agarwal and SP Vikas Kumar visited the hospital and directed that the best possible care be provided to the injured.</p>.<p>Adityanath expressed sorrow and wished speedy recovery to the injured.</p>.<p>In Sonbhadra, a truck hit a motorcycle carrying an elderly couple and their son near the DM office on the Varanasi-Shaktinagar road. Amrit Oraon (62) and his wife Mantorni Devi (57), residents of Kachnarwa village, were killed on the spot.</p>.<p>Their son Dharmendra Kumar, who was riding the bike, was seriously injured and is being treated at the district hospital. The truck driver has been arrested, police said.</p>.<p>In Amethi's Musafirkhana area, a 70-year-old man, Om Prakash Agrahari, was killed after a speeding car rammed into the e-rickshaw he was travelling in near Kanakoopur village.</p>.<p>Police said they have seized the car and initiated legal proceedings, though the driver remains at large. </p>
<p>Lucknow: At least 19 people, including women and children, lost their lives and dozens were injured in multiple road accidents in several parts of Uttar Pradesh, with major incidents taking place in Lucknow, Hardoi and Balrampur districts.</p>.<p>The spate of accidents prompted Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to instruct officials to expedite relief and medical response.</p>.<p>Five passengers, including two children, were killed when a private bus caught fire on Kisan Path near Mohanlalganj on the outskirts of Lucknow early Thursday morning. The bus, carrying nearly 80 passengers and travelling from Begusarai (Bihar) to Delhi, caught fire around 5 am, allegedly due to a short circuit in the gearbox, according to Assistant Commissioner of Police Rajneesh Verma.</p>.<p>The blaze spread rapidly while most passengers were asleep. Though firefighters reached the spot promptly, five passengers -- Lakkhi Devi (55), Soni Mahto (26), Devraj (3), Sakshi (2), and Madhusudan (21) -- could not be saved, police said.</p>.<p>Several others sustained burn injuries and were hospitalized.</p>.<p>Initial police probe revealed that the bus's emergency exit had malfunctioned, trapping passengers in the rear section.</p>.<p>Chief Minister Adityanath expressed grief over the incident and directed officials to ensure immediate treatment for the injured.</p>.<p>In Hardoi district, six people were killed and three seriously injured after an autorickshaw collided with a dumper truck near Hardaul Mau village around 9:45 am. The auto, travelling from Bangarmau to Sandila, was carrying nine passengers, police said.</p>.<p>Among the deceased were Ranjit Rathore (25), Ankit Kumar (20), Arvind (20), Phool Jahan (24), Nisar (40), and a woman identified as Bitana (25). The injured -- Siraj (26), Ayaz (2), and Jugnu (7) -- were rushed to Sandila Community Health Centre (CHC) and later referred to Lucknow, where Ayaz's condition remains critical, police said.</p>.<p>Hardoi Superintendent of Police Neeraj Kumar Jadaun said the dumper fled the scene and a manhunt is underway. Legal proceedings have begun and the bodies have been sent for postmortem, he said.</p>.<p>In a separate incident, a collision between a car and a speeding truck on the Balrampur-Tulsipur National Highway claimed the lives of five members of a family returning from a wedding late Wednesday night.</p>.<p>The truck rammed into the car near Chakwa village, leaving five people dead and eight others seriously injured. The injured were taken to the District Memorial Hospital. Balrampur District Magistrate Pawan Agarwal and SP Vikas Kumar visited the hospital and directed that the best possible care be provided to the injured.</p>.<p>Adityanath expressed sorrow and wished speedy recovery to the injured.</p>.<p>In Sonbhadra, a truck hit a motorcycle carrying an elderly couple and their son near the DM office on the Varanasi-Shaktinagar road. Amrit Oraon (62) and his wife Mantorni Devi (57), residents of Kachnarwa village, were killed on the spot.</p>.<p>Their son Dharmendra Kumar, who was riding the bike, was seriously injured and is being treated at the district hospital. The truck driver has been arrested, police said.</p>.<p>In Amethi's Musafirkhana area, a 70-year-old man, Om Prakash Agrahari, was killed after a speeding car rammed into the e-rickshaw he was travelling in near Kanakoopur village.</p>.<p>Police said they have seized the car and initiated legal proceedings, though the driver remains at large. </p>