Updated on: Dec 25, 2025 08:07 am IST
The crash occurred when a lorry travelling from Hiriyur toward Bengaluru crossed the central divider and rammed into a bus coming from the opposite direction.
At least nine people were killed and 21 injured in a road accident on National Highway 48 at Gorlathu Cross in Hiriyur taluk of Chitradurga district, after a private sleeper coach bus caught fire following a collision with a lorry, the police said on Thursday.
The crash occurred when a lorry travelling from Hiriyur toward Bengaluru crossed the central divider and rammed into a bus coming from the opposite direction, which was heading from Bengaluru to Shivamogga. The impact caused the sleeper coach to catch fire in the middle of the highway, trapping several passengers inside.
Police said the official figure of casualties will be available after an audit. Several who managed to escape suffered serious injuries and were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Preliminary findings point to negligence on the part of the lorry driver, according to the police. The force of the collision and the resulting fire left the bus completely gutted, complicating rescue efforts at the scene.
Chitradurga superintendent of police Ranjith visited the site and is overseeing the investigation. A case has been registered at the Hiriyur Rural Police Station, and further inquiries are under way to determine the exact sequence of events that led to the accident.
Traffic on the busy stretch of National Highway 48 was disrupted for several hours as emergency teams cleared debris and carried out rescue and recovery operations.
