A late-night journey turned into a nightmare of fire and death on a national highway in Karnataka, claiming six lives and leaving 28 people with severe burn injuries. The tragic incident occurred in the early hours of Thursday when a container truck violently collided with a sleeper coach bus, triggering a massive blaze.
The Horrific Collision and Immediate Aftermath
The accident took place around 2 am on the Bengaluru-Pune national highway near Hiriyur town in Chitradurga district. This location is approximately 170 kilometres northwest of Bengaluru. A Haryana-registered container truck, travelling in the opposite direction, reportedly jumped the road divider and smashed directly into the right side of the bus.
The impact was catastrophic, instantly sparking a fire that rapidly engulfed the lower berths of the bus. Many passengers were trapped in their sleep as flames spread through the vehicle. Eyewitnesses and police confirmed that fellow motorists on the highway rushed to pull out some passengers from the burning wreckage. The bus, operated by Seabird Travels, was on its way from Bengaluru to the coastal beach town of Gokarna in Uttara Kannada district.
Victims and Heartbreaking Scenes
Among the six fatalities was a heart-wrenching case of a mother and her young child. Bindu Darshan, 29, and her five-year-old daughter Greya, from Bengaluru's Girinagar area, both perished in the fire. Rescue personnel later found the young girl had died while hugging her mother.
The other deceased passengers were identified as software professionals HC Manasa (27), AM Navya (26), and Rashmi R Mahale (24). The truck driver, Kuldeep (29), was also found burned to death inside his cabin. In total, the bus was carrying 31 passengers.
Bus driver Mohammed Rafiq sustained injuries and was hospitalised, while the cleaner, Sadiq, was thrown out of the vehicle during the collision.
Official Response and a Pattern of Tragedy
Inspector General (eastern range) BR Ravikanthe Gowda stated that preliminary investigations point towards negligence on the part of the truck driver. Following the tragedy, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the family of each deceased victim and Rs 50,000 for those injured.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also announced ex-gratia payments of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund for the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured.
This devastating accident adds to a grim series of deadly bus fires and crashes across India in recent weeks. On October 24, a bus fire in Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool district killed 19 people. Earlier, on October 14, a bus travelling from Jaisalmer to Jodhpur burst into flames in Nagaur, Rajasthan, resulting in 11 fatalities. These repeated incidents have raised urgent questions about vehicle safety standards and highway regulations in the country.
