KANPUR: Two passengers were killed and 11 others were injured after a speeding double-decker bus travelling from Patna to Delhi rammed into a truck on the Lucknow-Agra Expressway here on Monday, police said.
The accident took place around 4.30 am near Araul toll plaza in the Bilhaur area of Kanpur.
According to police, the bus lost control and rammed into the rear of a truck going from Siliguri to Saharanpur.
The impact was so much so that the truck overturned, and the front portion of the bus was completely mangled. Several passengers were trapped inside the wreckage.
Police, along with Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority's rescue teams, rushed to the spot and launched an immediate rescue operation.
They pulled out the injured from the vehicles and shifted them to the nearest Community Health Centre for treatment.
Three critically injured passengers -- Neeraj, Babloo and Ritesh, all residents of Bihar -- were referred to Lala Lajpat Rai hospital for advanced treatment.
Of the three, Neeraj (30) and Babloo (32) died during the treatment, said Manjay Singh, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Billhaur.
ACP and Station House Officer Janardan Singh Yadav supervised the rescue and traffic restoration work at the accident site.
Preliminary investigation suggests the driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel.
"Police probe suggests the bus was travelling at over 100 kilometres per hour at the time of the crash," ACP Manjay Singh said.
Cranes and other machines were deployed to remove the damaged vehicles from the expressway, after which traffic movement was restored, the ACP added.
The bodies have been sent for post-mortem. Further legal action will follow after a formal complaint is received, police said.