LUCKNOW, Aug. 13 -- A 50-year-old Kanwariya was killed and 38 others injured after a double-decker sleeper bus carrying around 73 pilgrims overturned on National Highway-30 in Lakhimpur Kheri early Wednesday, police said. The accident occurred near the Uchholiya gurdwara along the Sharda canal in Uchholiya police station area. The pilgrims, residents of Bitiya village in Bihar's West Champaran district, were returning from Haridwar with Gangajal and were headed to Ayodhya for jalabhishek. The deceased was identified as Harishankar Lal Yadav, 50. Eight seriously injured passengers, including the bus driver Salauddin, 43, were referred to Shahjahanpur after initial treatment. Around 30 other injured pilgrims were treated at the Palia community health centre. According to fellow passengers, the driver allegedly dozed off while driving and lost control of the bus. The vehicle, reportedly travelling at high speed, veered off the highway and overturned into a roadside ditch. The crash occurred in the pre-dawn hours, trapping several passengers inside the overturned bus and triggering panic among those who were asleep or seated inside. On hearing the crash, local residents rushed to the spot and began rescue operations. Members of the gurdwara committee, the 'Seva Ka Junoon' team, police and an NHAI team joined the rescue effort. Uchholiya SHO Awadh Raj Sengar reached the spot with police personnel. Rescuers worked to pull passengers trapped inside the bus and shifted the injured to hospitals by ambulances. Among those seriously injured and referred to Shahjahanpur were Lamba Devi (50), Saral Mehta (45), Sukhdev Das (65), Sugi Devi (35), Hiralal (65), Sushila Devi (60), Sugata Devi (50) and driver Salauddin (43). Other injured passengers included Lal Mati, Sungati, Lalji, Lavanti Devi, Basanti Devi, Rokwa Kumari, Geeta Devi, Dheeraj Kumar, Horilal and Manoj. Police have begun investigating the circumstances leading to the accident, including the allegations that the driver fell asleep and that the bus was being driven at high speed....