Four Killed, 21 Injured as State Bus Collides Head-On with Tanker on Aligarh-Agra Highway; Another Tragic Instance of Highway Fatalities
There seems to be no brake on mass fatalities in road accidents in the country which which seems to have become a regular feature.
In a devastating accident on Thursday evening near Samamai village on the Aligarh-Agra highway in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district, a state roadways bus and a tanker collided head-on, killing four persons (including a 12-year-old boy) and injuring 21 others.
According to police and district officials, the accident occurred at approximately 4:30 pm, when the bus, en route from Aligarh to Hathras, swerved to avoid hitting a motorcyclist.
The sudden maneuver caused it to veer into the opposite lane and crash directly into an oncoming tanker near the Sasni police station area.
Several passengers are reported to have jumped out of the bus in panic moments before impact.
The injured were initially rushed to the Community Health Centre in Sasni and later shifted to the district hospital. Four of the critical patients were referred to a facility in Aligarh for specialised care.
The deceased have been identified as: Kuldeep (12 years old), Maharaj Singh (50), Sonu (52), nd Arjun (32), the bus conductor. One of the injured succumbed to injuries in the hospital, raising the death toll to four.
District Magistrate Atul Vats and Superintendent of Police Chiranjiv Nath Sinha visited the accident site and hospital, directing the Chief Medical Officer Dr Rajiv Rai and CMO Dr Surya Prakash to ensure optimal medical attention for all the injured.
Police Investigation Underway & Recurring Highway Tragedies
Police have registered a case and launched an investigation into the exact sequence of events, including the role of the motorcyclist evaded by the bus driver, the condition of both vehicles, speed, lane discipline, and highway safety protocols.
This incident — one among many in recent months — underscores the alarming trend of deadly accidents on India’s highways.
Head-on collisions, overspeeding, abrupt manoeuvres, inadequate road infrastructure, driver fatigue, and reckless driving continue to claim lives and leave dozens critically injured every few days.
It raises urgent questions about highway regulation, bus/tanker safety standards, emergency response capabilities, and accountability of transport authorities.
Urgent Road Safety Imperative
While bus drivers may take evasive action to save lives (as in this case), the aftermath reveals systemic vulnerabilities: narrow shoulders, poor visibility, inadequate signage, lack of speed governors in heavy vehicles, weak enforcement of lane discipline, and insufficient crash barriers.
The frequency of such multi-casualty incidents must be addressed with enhanced preventive measures — from stricter licensing and inspection to public awareness and real-time monitoring.
As families of the deceased mourn the young boy and three other victims, and as 21 injured fight for recovery, the Hathras crash stands as yet another tragic reminder of how quickly lives are lost on our highways.
Authorities and transport bodies must act swiftly to prevent such high-fatality collisions in the future.
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