Charred remains of a sleeper bus after it caught fire on the Yamuna Expressway in the Greater Noida area, killing nine passengers. (PTI Photo)Nancy Gupta has been sitting on a stone slab outside the post-mortem house in Noida’s Sector 94 for 14 hours, her head resting between her folded legs, her eyes closing from exhaustion.Since 11.30 pm Wednesday, she has been trying to reach her mother, Saroj Gupta, 52, and cousin, Mayank Gupta, 28.They were travelling in an AC sleeper bus, going from Delhi to Mahoba, which caught fire around 11 pm on the Yamuna Expressway. Nine people were killed.The family had come to Noida three days ago to celebrate the first birthday of Nancy’s sister, who lives here. Her mother and cousin were on their way back to Rath, a town in Uttar Pradesh.“I stayed back for work,” she said.Their last conversation was before the family boarded the bus from Noida Sector 37 around 10 pm.“They told me that they were settled… I called them at 7 am today, when the bus usually reaches, but they did not pick up. I tracked the vehicle online, but it was not moving. I then called the bus operator and the police, but they did not tell us anything. Then I found out online that a bus had caught fire,” she said.Also Read | 9 killed as sleeper bus catches fire on Yamuna ExpresswayNancy said the injured were taken to Kailash Hospital. “When we called them, they said nobody named Saroj or Mayank was admitted there… my father keeps asking where my mother is,” she cried, as her brother, who was with her, held her.Story continues below this adBy afternoon, police officers came to the post mortem house and the duo rushed to the gates. “Did you see a woman of medium height? I can describe to you what she was wearing yesterday. See, this is her picture,” said Nancy, thrusting forward a photo of her mother.The officer said nine bodies had been brought there, but they were charred beyond recognition. Families could try to identify them, he said, while DNA samples would be collected to establish their identities.Nancy is one of several families waiting outside, hoping their loved ones are not in the list of the dead.Another woman was looking for her father, who had boarded the bus along with her brother. They were headed to Auraiya.Story continues below this adA few minutes past 11 pm, her father called and said the bus had caught fire. “I took a cab and rushed to the spot… it took me an hour to reach. I thought it was a minor accident but then I saw flames engulfing the entire bus.”My brother is safe, but I don’t know where my father said,” she said.Sunita Gupta, 60, and her son Shashank are also missing, said a relative from Delhi standing outside. “Their family called me, saying they haven’t been able to reach them. I called the hospital, but they say nobody by their names was there,” he said.Around 2.30 pm, after hours of waiting, the families finally went inside the post-mortem house, handkerchiefs pressed over their faces, as they prepared to look for their loved ones.Story continues below this adNancy went inside. Her brother walked anxiously, his hands folded.