Karnataka accident: Sleeper bus-lorry collision kills 5 in Chitradurga

At least five people lost their lives while many others were injured in the early hours of Thursday (December 25) when a speeding lorry rammed a luxury sleeper bus that caught fire in the impact. The tragedy occurred on National Highway 48 at Golarthi in Hiriyur Taluk, Chitradurga district, Karnataka. Initial reports said 17 and (later nine) people were killed but, later the death toll was revised.

East Zone Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ravikanthe Gowda had earlier said nine lives were lost, citing preliminary investigation, but later confirmed along with the district police chief that the actual number of deaths was five.

What happened on early Dec 25 morning?

● A Seabird sleeper coach bus travelling from Bengaluru to Gokarna collided with a lorry that jumped the divider on NH48 in Hiriyur.

● Hiriyur is on Bengaluru-Pune Highway (NH-48).

● Hiriyur is around 160 km from Bengaluru, 40 km away from Chitradurga town.

● According to the bus driver and cleaner, the lorry lost control and hit the bus, its diesel tank ruptured, and the vehicle burst into flames

● There were 32 passengers in the bus. Five people died, including the driver of the lorry.

● The injured have been admitted to the Hiriyur and Shira government hospitals.

● Three women (Milan, Kavita and Sandhya) have also been admitted to the Hiriyur hospital. They survived after bravely jumping out of the bus soon after the fire broke out.

● The bus driver, Rafiq, and conductor, Sadiq, survived.

Also read: Sleeper buses are death traps; they should be banned, not improved

“Only five people have died,” Chitradurga Superintendent of Police, Ranjith Kumar Bandaru, told PTI. According to IGP Gowda, three others whose identity was not known might have saved their lives by jumping out of the burning vehicle.

The deceased included four passengers of the bus and the driver of the lorry.

Top leaders, including President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, condoled the deaths. The PM and CM also announced ex gratia to the next of kin of the deceased.

Siddaramaiah also said a proper probe would be conducted into the accident.

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The accident happened after the container lorry jumped a divider on the highway and collided with the oncoming bus, Gowda told reporters.

The bus was travelling with 32 occupants, including 30 passengers, from Bengaluru to Gokarna. The vehicle burst into flames under the impact of the collision with the other heavy vehicle, and some of the passengers were burnt alive inside, he added. The driver and the cleaner of the bus managed to survive, the IGP said.

"As per the investigation so far, it (container lorry) directly hit the diesel tank (of the bus), leading to diesel tank leak and fire," Gowda added.

"Of the 12 injured, nine have been shifted to Sira and three to Tumakuru. One of the patients with critical burn injuries has been taken to Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru," Gowda further informed. He said barring the one who was taken to Bengaluru, the other injured were out of danger.

Also read: Bus fire survivors recount horror: ‘Door wouldn’t open; fire was already upon us’

Aditya, who was on the bus and survived, was quoted as saying in the media, “I fell down after the accident, broke the glass and managed to get out. Many people were screaming, but by then the fire had engulfed the bus.”

Schoolbus has close shave

Another bus, going from T Dasrahalli to Dandeli, with 42 school children on board, was trailing the fateful bus and just escaped the accident on time. Gowda said the second bus hit the first one from behind, but its driver managed to veer it off the road, and the schoolchildren were saved.

"No one sustained even a minor injury," he said.

The children continued their journey in another bus, Gowda said, adding that the driver of the school bus is an important eyewitness whose statement will be registered.

Most passengers of the ill-fated bus had booked their tickets online. "We have got their phone numbers. We are trying to contact their families," Gowda said, adding that a DNA test would be performed to identify the bodies.

Bus driver recounts horror

Rafiq, who was driving the bus that caught fire, said the lorry appeared from the other side of the road divider and crashed into his vehicle.

"It was overspeeding. I was maintaining the speed at 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," he told reporters in the hospital where he was admitted with serious injuries. He said he tried to control the bus on seeing the lorry dashing towards it from the opposite direction but failed.

Also read: Dense fog causes massive pile-ups in Haryana; many injured

"My bus even grazed a vehicle moving next to us. I don't know what vehicle it was. But, couldn't (control)."

Mohammed Sadiq, the cleaner of the bus who also received minor injuries, said he was thrown out of the bus through the window after the collision. He said the lorry had directly hit the bus's fuel tank and that he was asleep when the disaster took place.

Top leaders condole

President Murmu expressed her sorrow over the incident, saying on X, "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."

Condoling the tragedy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on 'X': "Deeply saddened by the loss of lives due to a mishap in the Chitradurga district of Karnataka. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May those injured recover at the earliest."

He said an ex gratia of Rs two lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs 50,000.

CM Siddaramaiah announced an ex gratia of Rs five lakh each to the families of those who died in the accident and Rs 50,000 each to those who were injured.

"Having obtained information about the incident from the officials, I have directed them to stand by for assistance to the affected. An investigation will be conducted in this regard, the cause of the accident will be identified, and necessary measures will be taken," he wrote on X.

Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, too, mourned the tragedy saying he was shocked to know about the accident.

Metal skeletons, charred personal staff

The impact of the accident was so severe that both the vehicles involved in the incident were completely mangled. People struggled to douse the flame as fire spread all over the road.

Fire fighters who rushed to the spot found it hard to contain the fire.

The charred remains of the bus were seen lying across the highway, with the roof caved in and metal frames twisted. The vehicle was reduced to a metal skeleton, with burnt debris scattered across the road.

Burnt fragments, personal belongings and vehicle parts were seen scattered across the stretch of the road.

The tragedy in Chitradurga is the latest in a series of road accidents involving buses and lorries on the highways that have resulted in several deaths. A luxury sleeper bus caught fire near Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh in October, resulting in at least 20 deaths. Also, a similar death toll was witnessed after a lorry collided with a state bus on Hyderabad-Bijaur highway in Ranga Reddy district of Telangana in November.

(This story has been updated with fresh updates)