The passenger bus was en route from Delhi to UP's Bahraich via Lucknow when it collided head-on with the truck, according to eyewitness reports.

The rescue teams have rushed the injured people to a local hospital, Indian officials said, adding that there are fears the death toll may increase further as several passengers received critical injuries.

Road accidents have been a major cause of concern across the Indian subcontinent.

In 2020 alone, the country reported over 151 thousand fatalities due to road accidents. Each year, about three to five percent of the country’s GDP was invested in road accidents.

Notably, while India has about one percent of the world’s vehicle population, it also accounted for about six percent of the global road traffic incidents. Almost 70 percent of the accidents involved young Indians.