Govind Kumar from Hamirpur in Uttar Pradesh is distraught as he searches for his wife Parvati Devi, missing since the horrific crash on the Yamuna Expressway on December 16. Dense fog triggered an 18-vehicle pile-up that killed 20 people, but the family has no trace of Parvati. Her children escaped, but she vanished.
On December 16, around 4 a.m., a deadly pile-up involving 18 vehicles occurred on the Yamuna Expressway amid thick fog. Thirteen vehicles, including eight buses, burst into flames, claiming 20 lives with many bodies charred beyond recognition. Govind Kumar, a 52-year-old labourer from Nauranga village in Hamirpur, Uttar Pradesh, has been anxious for two weeks over his missing 49-year-old wife, Parvati Devi, who was traveling to Noida with their children, 12-year-old Prachi and 8-year-old Sagar.
Their eldest son, Aakash (22), a labourer in Noida, described the chaos: “My mother was injured... Thick smoke filled the bus, making it hard to breathe. She managed to get Sagar out first, and then Prachi escaped.” But as the children screamed for help, an explosion ignited the bus, and Parvati was not seen again.
Complicating matters, all 20 bodies recovered have been identified—15 through DNA testing, according to Mathura District Magistrate Chandra Prakash Singh. “Two families have claimed relatives died but no bodies were found. We are inquiring into these allegations,” he said. Yet Parvati is not listed among the dead.
Govind and Aakash have been visiting police stations and offices in Mathura to press their case. Authorities took blood samples, hair, and nail clippings from Prachi and Aakash for DNA matching. Additional Superintendent of Police Suresh Chandra Rawat stated, “We are verifying if she was on the bus, examining CCTV footage, call detail records, and statements from surviving passengers. No one at the site reported a woman who saved her children but stayed trapped.” An officer visited Hamirpur to record local statements, including from a cousin and rickshaw puller who helped them board.
The family fears officials suspect a false claim for compensation—the government announced Rs 3 lakh for each deceased's kin. Aakash added, “Senior officials assured identification within 72 hours after the crash, but two weeks have passed with no resolution. Village rumors have forced us all to stay with me in Noida to avoid humiliation.”
For the Kumar family, closure remains elusive as the investigation continues.
