According to the police, the bus came to a halt after hitting a pile of sand, which prevented it from crashing into the slums in Nehru camp. The camp houses about 800 families, most of them migrant labourers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Most of the 43 passengers walked out of the bus, the police and witnesses said.

The driver, Ram Bahadur (35), was crushed between his seat and the steering wheel. He died on the spot. The locals and police officers took out his body. All victims were taken to the nearby Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital. The hospital’s Deputy Medical Superintendent, Dr Amita Saxena, said: “Two victims were declared dead on arrival. Eleven persons are admitted here — six women and five men.” Dr Saxena said condition of the injured is “stable”.

Four other injured persons have been admitted in Max Balaji Hospital in Patparganj — three of them are reported to be critical.

Post-accident, the traffic jam on the road stretched for over an hour as the police cranes attempted to pull out the bus. The efforts, however, were fruitless and the officers said they would return late in the night for a second attempt.