At least 10 people lost their lives and more than 20 others sustained critical burn injuries after a private sleeper bus caught fire following a collision with a container truck in Karnataka’s Chitradurga district early Thursday morning.
The accident occurred around 2 am near Hiriyur on National Highway-48, when the bus was travelling overnight from Bengaluru to Shivamogga. Preliminary reports indicate that the truck crossed the central divider from the opposite lane and rammed into the bus, triggering a massive fire that quickly engulfed the vehicle while most passengers were asleep.
Several passengers were trapped inside the burning bus, leading to heavy casualties. Visuals showing the bus completely gutted by flames surfaced on social media, underscoring the scale of the tragedy. Emergency services, including police and fire personnel, rushed to the scene and carried out rescue and recovery operations.
The injured were shifted to nearby hospitals, where many remain in critical condition. Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the exact cause of the accident.
