BENGALURU: In a tragic accident on Christmas Day, at least six people lost their lives and 21 others were injured after a sleeper coach bus caught fire following a collision with a container truck in Karnataka’s Chitradurga district in the early hours of Thursday. The incident occurred around 2 a.m. at Gorlattu Cross on National Highway 48.
According to Chitradurga Superintendent of Police Ranjit Kumar Bandaru, five bodies were recovered from the private Sea Bird sleeper coach bus, while one body was recovered from the container truck. The deceased include four women, a child, and the driver of the container truck. Among those who died in the bus were Bindu, her daughter Greya, Manasa, Navya, and Rashmi. While Bindu and her daughter have been identified, authorities said identification of some victims has been challenging, as family members are relying on jewellery and other personal belongings. DNA samples will be collected before the bodies are handed over to families.
The bus was travelling from Bengaluru to the coastal town of Gokarna and was carrying 32 people, including the driver and conductor. Of these, 28 passengers had booked tickets in advance, while two boarded later. One passenger who had booked a seat did not board the bus. The child who died was travelling with her mother and was not listed separately in the booking chart. Both the bus driver and conductor survived the incident.
Police said the container truck, travelling from the opposite direction, jumped the divider after the driver lost control and rammed into the bus. Inspector General of Police (East) B.R. Ravikanthe Gowda stated that the truck likely struck the fuel tank of the bus, leading to fuel leakage and a rapid fire that engulfed the vehicle. Several passengers managed to escape, but those who were asleep were unable to get out in time.
The truck driver has been identified as Kuldeep Yadav from Uttar Pradesh. Traffic on the Bengaluru–Sira stretch of the highway was disrupted for several hours following the accident.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced an ex-gratia compensation of Rs 5 lakh each for the families of those who died and Rs 50,000 for the injured. He also ordered a detailed investigation to determine the exact cause of the accident. (IANS)
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