A deadly collision between a private sleeper bus and a speeding truck in Karnataka’s Chitradurga district early Thursday morning left at least seven people dead and several others injured.
The luxury bus with 32 passengers caught fire after the impact, leading to many being burnt alive, said a senior police official.
The bus was on its way to Gokarna from Bengaluru when the accident happened on NH-48 at around 2 a.m. The truck jumped a road divider and collided with the bus, said East Zone Inspector General of Police Ravikanthe Gowda.
The driver and cleaner of the Seabird sleeper bus had escaped, while the driver of the truck and its cleaner are among the dead. However, on early Friday morning, the bus driver, Mohammed Rafique, who was critically injured during the accident, succumbed to his injuries. He had been admitted to the Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences at Hubballi.
Many passengers escaped by jumping from the bus, Gowda added. The injured have been shifted to a hospital in Shira in Tumakuru district, he said, adding that fire brigade teams were also deployed immediately.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah promised a proper investigation into the accident, while expressing grief over the loss of lives.
“My heart shook hearing the news of the horrific accident between a lorry (container truck) and a bus near Chitradurga in which many passengers were burnt alive. It is regrettable that the journey of those who were going home for the Christmas holidays ended in such a tragedy,” Siddaramaiah wrote in a post on X.
“A proper investigation into the accident will be conducted, and the cause will be found out. I pray that the souls of the deceased may rest in peace. I also share the grief of the families of those who died in the accident,” he further said.
Expressing shock over the accident and loss of lives, Deputy CM D K Shivakumar also expressed his condolences, saying he wishes such tragedies never occur.
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The incident could have escalated into a bigger tragedy since another bus coming from T Dasrahalli to Dandeli, with 45 school children, was behind the fateful bus. Fortunately, a collision was averted.
“Thankfully the driver of the bus carrying schoolchildren drove on the other side and no one was hurt,” police said.
Earlier, the driver of the ill-fated bus, Rafiq, said he tried in vain to swerve his vehicle after spotting the overspeeding truck approaching from the opposite direction.
“The truck came from the other side of the road divider and hit. It was overspeeding. I was maintaining the speed of 60-70 (km/hr) at that time. I saw the vehicle coming from the front. I know only the vehicle (truck) hitting the bus, after that I don’t know what happened and how I was brought out,” Rafiq had told reporters.
“I tried to control the bus, on seeing the vehicle approaching from the opposite direction. My bus even touched the other vehicle, which was moving next to us; I don’t know what vehicle it was. But, couldn’t (control),” added Mohammed Sadiq, the cleaner of the bus who is also undergoing treatment with minor injuries. Sadiq said he was thrown out of the bus due to the impact.
“The truck that was coming from the opposite direction directly rammed the diesel tank. I was in the front of the bus and asleep when the accident occurred. Due to the impact of the accident, I was thrown out through the glass,” he said.
President Droupadi Murmu extended condolences to the families of those killed in the accident and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.
“Deeply pained by the tragic bus fire incident in Chitradurga, Karnataka, which has led to the loss of lives. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for speedy recovery of the injured,” Murmu said in a post on X.
Former prime minister H D Deve Gowda and state BJP President B Y Vijayendra too have expressed shock over the incident. They have offered condolences to the families of the deceased and wished a speedy recovery for the injured.
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