Hyderabad: At least 10 people died after a private sleeper bus collided head-on with a truck in a major bus accident in Karnataka’s Chitradurga district early on Thursday, as a massive fire gutted the vehicle and injured several passengers.
The bus accident occurred near Gorlathu village in Hiriyur taluk. According to police, the impact caused the bus to catch fire immediately, trapping many passengers inside.
The bus was travelling from Bengaluru to Shivamogga when the crash occurred on National Highway 48. As a result, flames spread rapidly and hampered rescue efforts in the initial hours.
Bus accident in Chitradurga triggers massive fire
Soon after the bus accident, emergency services launched rescue and relief operations. Fire brigade teams and rescue personnel reached the spot and later shifted the injured and the deceased to nearby hospitals.
Meanwhile, Chitradurga Superintendent of Police Ranjith Kumar Bandaru and Inspector General of Police B R Ravikanthe Gowda, along with other senior officials, visited the accident site to oversee operations.
Police warned that the death toll could rise as several passengers suffered severe burn injuries. Therefore, rescue teams continued search operations to ensure no one remained trapped inside the vehicle.
Preliminary investigations suggested that the truck driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel. Consequently, the truck jumped the road divider and crashed into the bus. The collision killed the truck driver on the spot.
At the time of the bus accident, 32 passengers were travelling on the bus. Police confirmed that 21 injured passengers are receiving treatment at hospitals in Hiriyur and Chitradurga.
Meanwhile, authorities said they are verifying passenger details and checking for anyone still unaccounted for. At the same time, investigators have not confirmed the exact cause of the fire and are examining whether fuel leakage or the impact triggered the blaze. Investigations continue.