Daijiworld Media Network – Chitradurga

Chitradurga, Dec 25: In a horrific road accident, over nine passengers were burnt alive after a private sleeper coach bus caught fire following a collision with a truck on National Highway–48 near Gorlattu Cross in Hiriyur taluk of the district in the early hours of Thursday.

According to reports, a truck crossed the divider and rammed into a private sleeper coach bus coming from the opposite direction, following which the bus went up in flames. Several passengers sustained serious injuries, and the death toll is feared to rise.

It is said that due to the intensity of the collision, the bus caught fire in the middle of the road. As the fire spread within moments, passengers inside the bus were unable to escape, resulting in multiple deaths. The truck was travelling from Hiriyur towards Bengaluru, while the bus was on its way from Bengaluru to Shivamogga. Negligence on the part of the truck driver is suspected to be the cause of the accident. In the mishap, container truck driver Kuldeep lost his life.

According to police sources, there were 29 passengers on board the bus, which has a seating capacity of 32. Among them were 15 women and 14 men. Most of the passengers were natives of Gokarna in Uttara Kannada district, while the others were from Kumta and Shivamogga. It is learnt that the bus driver, conductor and a few others managed to jump out of the bus in time and escaped with their lives.

The accident led to massive traffic congestion stretching up to nearly 30 kilometres on National Highway–48, with vehicles lined up for a long distance.

The injured have been shifted to nearby hospitals, and the condition of some of them is stated to be critical. The death toll is likely to increase.

District superintendent of police Ranjith visited the accident site and conducted an inspection. A case has been registered at the Hiriyur Rural police station, and further investigation is underway.