Karnataka: 6 dead as sleeper bus collides with truck
Six people, including a five-year-old child, were killed and at least a dozen others injured when a speeding container truck crashed into a private sleeper bus that caught fire under the impact in Karnataka’s Chitradurga district in the early hours of Thursday, police said.
President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Siddaramaiah condoled the deaths in the accident, which occurred near the Javanagondanahalli village around 2am, when the luxury sleeper bus with 33 (including the driver and assistant) onboard was travelling from Bengaluru to Gokarna.
According to police, most passengers were asleep when the truck, carrying beverages from Maharashtra to Nelamangala near Bengaluru, allegedly lost control, jumped the divider, and rammed into the oncoming bus. The impact caused the bus to catch fire within moments, something that has been witnessed in several recent incidents involving a sleeper bus.
While the Inspector General of Police (IGP), East Zone, BR Ravikanthe Gowda had earlier said nine people were killed, citing preliminary investigation, later he revised the casualty figures to four passengers and the truck driver.
Superintendent of police Ranjith Kumar Bandaru later clarified that a child had also died in the incident, bringing the confirmed toll to six. “With this, the number of people killed in this accident is six,” Bandaru told reporters.
The deceased passengers were identified as Bindu V, her daughter Grema (5), Manasa, Navya, and Rashmi Mahale. All were travelling to Gokarna for the weekend. The truck driver, a native of Uttar Pradesh, was found charred at the site.
“The container truck jumped over the road divider and hit the sleeper bus coming from the opposite direction. Due to the impact, the bus caught fire and was completely gutted,” the police said in a statement, adding that rescue operations were launched without delay.
While some passengers managed to escape by jumping off the bus, at least 12 people sustained injuries. Three of the injured were shifted to Bengaluru for specialised treatment, while others were admitted to hospitals in Hiriyur, Sira, Tumakuru, and Chitradurga, officers said.
Besides police and fire services, a team from the state disaster response force was also pressed into the rescue and recovery operations. Officers said that identification of some victims was difficult due to severe charring, and DNA tests would be conducted to confirm identities.
A school bus carrying 48 students that was travelling parallel to the private bus also collided with the burnt vehicle, but none of the children were injured. The school bus driver, who witnessed the incident, is assisting the police investigation.
Condoling the tragedy, PM Modi said in a post 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 announced ex gratia of ₹2 lakh from PMNRF to the next of kin of each deceased and ₹50,000 to those injured.
Chief minister Siddaramaiah described the incident as “heartbreaking” and ordered a thorough probe into the incident. He also announced ex gratia of ₹5 lakh for the next of kin of those killed and ₹50,000 for the injured. “Hearing the tragic news of several passengers being burned alive in the horrific accident between a lorry and a bus near Chitradurga has left hearts trembling. It is heartbreaking that the journey of those heading out for Christmas has ended in such a tragedy. A thorough investigation should be conducted to uncover the cause,” he posted on X.
