UP: 16 Muslim pilgrims dead as bus collides with truck

The bus carrying the pilgrims from Ambedkar Nagar to Ajmer Sharif met with the head-on collision with the truck on Gonda-Bahraich road near Chilwaria village and caught fire at around 10.30 pm on Friday.

Chief Development Officer of the district Sukhlal Bharti said 44 passengers of the 54-seater bus,that was carrying 60-70 people,were rescued.

Some pilgrims managed to get out of the bus,said the sources.

Over a dozen pilgrims were taken to hospital.

Rescuers,using gas-cutters,were trying to cut open the twisted metal of the bus to pull out bodies or possible survivors from inside the vehicle.