GREATER NOIDA (Uttar Pradesh): Two people have been arrested after nine passengers died when a sleeper bus caught fire on the Yamuna Expressway near Jewar in Greater Noida late Wednesday night, with the FIR stating that passengers had noticed a burning smell inside the vehicle before the blaze intensified.
The bus was travelling from Kashmiri Gate in New Delhi towards Mahoba when the incident occurred near the 33-kilometre milestone of the Yamuna Expressway around 11.30 pm on September 23. President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath have condoled the loss of lives in the incident.
#WATCH | Greater Noida | A passenger says, “…I was asleep when someone banged on the door. When I woke up, there was already a huge crowd. I didn’t pick up any of my belongings; I didn’t even put on my shoes. I just grabbed my phone and stepped out. It was so crowded that… https://t.co/udoxnMaZrk pic.twitter.com/41N7aaXZZi
— ANI (@ANI) September 24, 2026
According to the FIR registered at Jewar police station, around 30-35 passengers were travelling on the bus. Some passengers reportedly noticed a burning smell coming from the driver’s cabin and alerted the driver and conductor. However, the complaint alleges that the two did not stop the bus immediately and continued smoking inside the cabin. The FIR stated that shortly afterwards, flames suddenly emerged near the driver’s seat and rapidly spread through the bus. Passengers raised an alarm and asked the driver to stop the vehicle, following which rescue efforts began.
Noida Chief Fire Officer Pradeep Kumar said that multiple fire and rescue teams were immediately deployed after receiving information about the blaze. “A bus (BR 32 PA 8647) was going from Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, to Mahoba at night and caught fire near Jewar. Four fire tenders and rescue teams reached the spot and evacuated 20-25 passengers safely. Nine people died due to suffocation and fire injuries. A case has been registered, and the driver and conductor have been arrested. Further investigation is under way”, Kumar said.
The FIR stated that after the fire was brought under control, nine people were found inside the bus and were later declared dead by doctors at Kailash Hospital in Jewar. The deaths were attributed to burns and suffocation. Police have registered a case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Sections 281, 125(b), 105 and 351(3).
The driver and conductor have been taken into custody, while police are investigating the circumstances that led to the fire and the alleged delay in stopping the bus despite passengers’ warnings. Police and rescue teams safely rescued 20 to 25 people from the bus following the accident.
President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday expressed profound sorrow over the tragic loss of nine lives in a bus fire on the Yamuna Expressway in Uttar Pradesh, describing the incident as “extremely heartbreaking”. Taking to social media platform X, the President extended her deepest condolences to the grieving families and prayed for the speedy recovery of those who sustained injuries.
“The news of the deaths of people in a fire that broke out in a bus on the Yamuna Expressway in Uttar Pradesh is extremely heartbreaking. I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for the swift recovery of those injured in this accident,” President Murmu posted.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of the nine people who died in the Greater Noida bus fire, while Rs 50,000 will be provided to each injured person.
Expressing grief over the incident, the Prime Minister said, “Distressed to hear about the loss of lives due to a fire tragedy on a bus in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. Praying for the swift recovery of the injured.”
“An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000,” he said, according to a post by the Prime Minister’s Office on X.
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has also announced Rs 2 lakh assistance for each deceased victim’s family and Rs 50,000 for the injured. (ANI)
