'My Father Still Missing': Greater Noida Bus Fire Victim's Son Breaks Down

"I felt safe as long as my father was there; now I have nothing left," a man broke down saying as his father remains missing while his injured mother is admitted to a hospital after a bus travelling from Delhi to Mahoba in Bihar caught fire on the Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida. 

The Bihar-registered bus, which was carrying over 35 people, was quickly engulfed in flames, with the dense smoke making it difficult for people to escape. Nine passengers were killed, while 20 were rescued during the incident that took place late Wednesday night.

Sarvoday Bharadwaj, whose parents were travelling in the bus, recalled his last call with them at night and then being unable to reach them on the phone or track their journey in the morning. 

"My grandmother passed away yesterday. My parents were travelling to be with the family when this tragedy happened. I spoke to them at around 10 pm. Everything was fine. At 6 in the morning, I tried tracking the bus, but the location was unavailable. Their phones were switched off," Sarvoday told NDTV. 

Greater Noida Bus On Fire, Driver Told Passengers "Won't Stop, Don't Care If You Die"

Preliminary investigation revealed that the fire originated from a blast in the bus's air conditioning system, which ignited the engine's lubricating oil and caused the fire to spread rapidly.… pic.twitter.com/stOMY0hTJt

— NDTV (@ndtv) September 24, 2026

According to Sarvoday, his mother tried to get out of the bus during the commotion after the fire and got injured in the process. His father had surgery on his leg, due to which he was unable to move during the chaos.

"My mother tried to get out of the bus but fell. People climbed over her in the chaos. She has an injury to her eye and a fractured rib. My father has a rod in his leg. He could not move quickly or get out. He is still missing," said Sarvoday. 

Sarvoday alleged that when he tried to contact the bus company, they did not provide any information regarding the bus or the accident. 

"I kept asking the bus agency, 'At least give me a number so I can find out where my parents are.' But they did not cooperate," Sarvoday said. 

He said the compensation announced for the victims of the incident is not enough and called for an investigation into the matter. 

"My home has been devastated. What will I do with Rs 2 lakh? As long as my father was there, I felt safe. Now I have nothing left. Forget the money. There should at least be safety and security. There should have been something on the bus to put out the fire," he said.

"Accidents keep happening in India: a plane crashes, a train meets with an accident, a bus catches fire. Where is the safety? This must be investigated-how the fire started, how quickly it spread, and whether the exit door was locked," Sarvoday added.