SRINAGAR: At least 10 people were killed and several others injured after a private sleeper bus collided with a truck and caught fire in the early hours of Thursday in Karnataka’s Chitradurga district, NDTV reported. The impact triggered a massive blaze, leaving the bus completely gutted.
The accident occurred near Gorlathu village in Hiriyur taluk on National Highway-48, where the bus, travelling from Bengaluru to Shivamogga, was hit head-on by a truck, according to the Indian Express. The collision caused the bus to burst into flames almost instantly, trapping a number of passengers inside and hampering rescue efforts.
Police and emergency services rushed to the scene soon after the crash. Fire brigade personnel and rescue teams worked to douse the flames and evacuate passengers, while the injured and deceased were shifted to nearby hospitals. Senior officials, including Chitradurga Superintendent of Police Ranjith Kumar Bandaru and Inspector General of Police B.R. Ravikanthe Gowda, also reached the site.
Officials cautioned that the death toll could rise as several passengers sustained critical burn injuries. “The number of fatalities is likely to increase,” an official told the Indian Express, adding that search and rescue operations were still under way.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the truck driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel, causing the vehicle to jump the divider and crash into the bus. The truck driver was killed on the spot, police said.
There were 32 passengers on board the bus at the time of the accident. Police said 21 injured passengers have been admitted to hospitals in Hiriyur and Chitradurga for treatment, while authorities are verifying passenger details and checking for anyone unaccounted for.
The exact cause of the fire has not yet been officially established, and investigators are examining whether fuel leakage or the force of the collision sparked the blaze. Further details are awaited.
