Karnataka, Dec 25: At least nine people were charred to death after a private luxury sleeper bus caught fire following a head-on collision with a container lorry in Karnataka’s Chitradurga district in the early hours of Thursday, police said.
The bus, carrying 32 passengers and travelling from Bengaluru to Gokarna, left the city at around 11.30 pm and met with the accident around 2 am. Police suspect the lorry driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel, causing the vehicle to jump the road divider and ram into the oncoming bus.
“The container lorry jumped over the divider and hit the bus. The lorry driver is dead. There were 32 people on the bus. We have 21 people injured in hospital, and we are looking for more people,” Chitradurga police said.
Following the impact, the bus immediately went up in flames, trapping several passengers inside. While nine passengers were killed in the blaze, 21 others sustained injuries and were rushed to hospitals in Hiriyur, Chitradurga and Shira in neighbouring Tumakuru district. The lorry driver and cleaner were among those killed, while the bus driver and cleaner managed to escape.
East Zone Inspector General of Police Ravikanthe Gowda said the accident occurred when the truck crossed the road divider and collided with the bus. Several passengers managed to save themselves by breaking windows and jumping out of the burning vehicle.
A survivor, identified as Aditya, recounted the horror moments after the crash. “I fell down after the accident, broke the glass and managed to get out. Many people were screaming, but by then the fire had engulfed the bus,” he said.
Police said a bus carrying 45 schoolchildren narrowly avoided the accident due to the presence of mind of its driver. “Fortunately, the driver of the bus carrying schoolchildren swerved to the other side, preventing any injuries,” a police officer said, adding that at least two injured passengers remain critical.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the tragedy and announced ex-gratia assistance from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund. “Deeply saddened by the loss of lives due to a mishap in the Chitradurga district of Karnataka. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May those injured recover at the earliest,” he said. An ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh will be given to the next of kin of each deceased, while the injured will receive ₹50,000.
The incident comes a day after another road accident in the state in which nine people were killed when a government bus, following a tyre burst, swerved to the opposite side and collided with two vehicles, police said.
