In the early hours of Thursday, a heart-rending road accident struck Chitradurga, Karnataka, claiming the lives of at least six people, including a child. The tragedy unfolded as a speeding container truck vaulted over the divider, colliding head-on with an oncoming luxury sleeper bus. The impact was so intense that the bus erupted in flames, trapping numerous passengers inside.
Sleeper Bus Transformed into a Fiery Inferno
This catastrophic event occurred in the Gollarahatti area of Hiriyur Taluk. According to police, the bus was en route from Bangalore to Gokarna, carrying a total of 32 individuals, including 30 passengers, a driver, and a conductor. Among the deceased are a woman and her young daughter, thus increasing the number of fatalities to six.
Karnataka’s East Zone IGP, Ravikante Gowda, revealed that preliminary investigations indicate the container truck directly struck the bus’s diesel tank, leading to a catastrophic fuel leak and subsequent blaze. The fire spread so rapidly that many passengers were unable to escape and tragically perished in the flames.
Fatalities Include Mother and Daughter While 12 Others Injured
This calamity left twelve individuals injured. Among them, nine were admitted to hospitals in Sira, while three were taken to Tumkur's medical facilities. A severely burned passenger was referred to Victoria Hospital in Bangalore. The police stated that the condition of the remaining injured is stable. Remarkably, the bus driver and conductor managed to escape the fiery chaos.
Ranjeet Kumar, the Superintendent of Police in Chitradurga, noted that another bus transporting 42 schoolchildren was trailing closely behind the ill-fated vehicle. Fortunately, despite veering off the road following the collision, none of the children sustained injuries.
