Chitradurga: At least nine persons were killed when a speeding truck crashed against a luxury sleeper bus, which caught fire under the impact, in this district early on Thursday, a senior police official said.
The bus with 32 passengers which was on its way to Gokarna was engulfted in flames under the impact of the collision and most of the deceased were burnt alive inside the vehicle, East Zone Inspector General of Police Ravikanthe Gowda said.
The accident happened after the truck jumped a road-divider and collided with the oncoming bus, Gowda told reporters.
The bus driver and cleaner escaped. The driver of the truck and its cleaner are among the dead.
Injure passengers shifted to hospital
The injured passengers have been shifted to a hospital in Shira in Tumakuru district, he added.
Many passengers escaped by jumping from the bus, Gowda said.
Another bus from T Dasrahalli to Dandeli with 45 school children that was behind the fateful bus just escaped the accident.
“Thankfully the driver of the bus carrying schoolchildren drove on the other side and no one was hurt.”
At least two passengers were grievously injured, police said.
Driver recounts horror
Recounting the tragedy, the bus driver, Rafeeq, said from his hospital bed that all he remembers is a speeding truck suddenly crashing into his bus.
“I was driving the bus at a speed of around 60 to 70 kmph. All I remember is a container truck coming and hitting my vehicle. I tried to control the bus, but it was not possible. Even as I attempted to steer the vehicle aside, another bus was moving in the adjacent lane. I don’t know what happened after that. I don’t remember how I got out,” he recalled.
The bus assistant, Mohammad Sadiq, who also managed to escape after the container truck hit the bus, said, “We left Bengaluru around 9 p.m. I was sleeping when the incident occurred. The truck hit the diesel tank. Due to the impact, I was thrown out of the bus. The driver was also thrown out.”
Meanwhile, eyewitnesses stated that the school bus driver got out of his vehicle and rescued several passengers who were trapped inside the bus. Police said that due to the intensity of the fire, several bodies were severely charred inside the bus.
With inputs from agencies
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