At least nine killed as sleeper bus catches fire on Yamuna Expressway; driver, conductor arrested for culpable homicide

At least nine passengers, including a woman, were killed after a sleeper bus carrying around 35–40 people caught fire on the Yamuna Expressway near the 33-km marker late on Wednesday night (September 23, 2026), triggering a massive rescue operation.

The bus was travelling from Delhi to Mahua in Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi district when the fire broke out around 11 p.m. in the Jewar area of Gautam Buddh Nagar district. Following a distress call, 8–10 fire tenders were rushed to the spot and personnel worked through the night to contain the blaze and rescue passengers.

The driver and conductor of the bus have been arrested, and the Jewar police have registered a case against them under provisions relating to culpable homicide. Preliminary investigation has indicated that a short circuit in the air-conditioning system may have triggered the fire, police said.

Jewar Inspector Ajay Kumar Singh said several passengers managed to escape and subsequently returned to their homes.

For those trapped inside, however, the fire turned the bus into a smoke-filled chamber within minutes. The bodies were shifted to Kailash Hospital, where they were declared dead and taken for postmortem examination.

Passenger Rinki Rajput, who survived the incident, said she was asleep when someone banged on the bus door and woke her.

“I was asleep when someone banged on the door. When I woke up, there was already a huge crowd. I did not pick up any of my belongings; I did not even put on my shoes. I just grabbed my phone and stepped out,” she said.

Describing the struggle to get out, Ms Rajput said passengers were pushing and shoving as they tried to escape through the smoke.

“It was so smoky that nothing was visible. People were suffocating inside. Very few managed to escape, only those who could push their way out amidst the shoving. I was pushed around, and someone eventually pulled me out. I do not remember anything else after that,” she said.

She said several passengers appeared to have been trapped behind her.

“There were quite a few people behind me who probably could not make it out, as I myself got out quite late. Many people lost their lives. The scene was completely chaotic, and getting out was extremely difficult,” she said.

Another passenger recalled being woken up after the fire had already spread inside the bus.

“I was asleep when someone woke me up and said the bus had caught fire. There was smoke everywhere. We all scrambled to get out. It was not an easy situation to escape from; there was a lot of smoke,” the passenger said.

“We somehow managed to get out in a state of panic. The bus was packed with passengers,” he said.

The fire prompted an immediate emergency response on the expressway, with at least eight fire tenders being deployed to the spot. Rescue personnel worked to evacuate those who could still be reached and bring the blaze under control.

Police are now examining the circumstances in which the fire started, the condition of the bus and whether any safety or operational lapses contributed to the deaths. The exact sequence of events leading to the fire and the circumstances in which the nine passengers became trapped are part of the investigation.