Four were killed and some others hurt as a huge tree, loosened by heavy showers, fell on a packed Uttar Pradesh Roadways bus in Barabanki district on Friday. The mishap on the Barabanki–Haidergarh road at Harkh Raja Bazaar left two of the injured critical.
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognisance of the road accident in Barabanki district, expressed condolences to the bereaved families, announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh for the kin of each deceased, directed officials to promptly provide proper treatment to the injured, and wished them a speedy recovery.
VIDEO | Barabanki: At least five people were killed when a tree fell on a moving state transport bus. The bus was travelling from Barabanki to Haidergarh.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) took cognisance of the road accident, expressed condolences… pic.twitter.com/DUykqBcpza
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 8, 2025
The sudden fall of the tree brought instantaneous pandemonium and a long traffic jam. Police and the district administration immediately initiated a rescue operation to clear the road and free people trapped.
Witnesses testified to a scene of pandemonium as passengers hollered for assistance, with some trying to get out through windows of buses. In one of the poignant moments of tragedy, a woman caught up in the bus was heard begging bystanders who were taking videos of the situation. “This is a matter of life and death here, and you are taping. If you had helped clear the branches of the tree, we would have been able to exit,” she begged. According to reports, the crowd stepped in, pushing out the person taking the video, and assisted the rescue efforts to extricate her.
The bus was traveling from Barabanki to Haidergarh when the accident took place, according to authorities. Five deaths have been confirmed by the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), with four of them being women. The bus driver and two female teachers are among the dead and had been on leave to attend training but were apparently headed to school at the instruction of the Basic Education Officer (BO).
Rescue efforts and relief operations were delayed by the heavy rain. Cutting tools were utilized by teams to cut sections of the tree and extricate the stranded passengers. All the injured were taken to nearby hospitals to receive medical attention.
The authorities have informed that traffic along the affected route has now been restored to normal. There is an ongoing investigation into the horrific accident.