One passenger died and more than 30 others were injured after a sleeper bus overturned on the Ganga Expressway here following a tyre burst, police said on Monday (May 11, 2026).

The accident occurred near Sarai Piparia village in the Musajhaag area around 12.30 a.m. The bus was travelling from Khaga in Fatehpur district to Ludhiana, officials said.

Senior Superintendent of Police Ankita Sharma said the tyre of the sleeper coach suddenly burst near the 202-kilometre point of the expressway.

"The driver lost control, and the bus overturned three to four times before crossing the divider and fell onto the opposite lane," Ms. Sharma said.

A passenger identified as Anuj (34), a resident of Fatehpur district, died on the spot.

"More than 30 passengers sustained injuries in the accident. Six of them are in critical condition and have been referred to Bareilly for advanced treatment," the SSP said.

Police said several passengers got trapped inside the mangled bus.

"It was fortunate that the bus did not fall into a deep ditch alongside the expressway. Otherwise, there would have been more casualties," Ms. Sharma added.

Soon after receiving information about the incident, police teams from Musajhaag, Dataganj and nearby police stations, along with health department personnel and ambulances, rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation.

Officials said rescuers broke the windows and cut through the seats to pull out trapped passengers.

The injured were admitted to nearby community health centres and the district hospital.

While around 24 passengers suffered minor injuries, six were critically injured and were admitted to the district hospital. Some of them were later referred to a Bareilly hospital due to their critical condition.

District Magistrate Avneesh Rai said authorities are closely monitoring the situation.

"A few passengers with minor injuries have been discharged after treatment, while six injured persons remain admitted to the district hospital. Some of them have been referred to Bareilly due to the seriousness of their injuries," Mr. Rai said.

He said preliminary findings suggested that overspeeding and the tyre burst were the likely causes of the accident.