Six burnt alive, 21 injured as sleeper bus catches fire after collision in K’taka

Bengaluru: In a major tragedy on Christmas Day, at least six persons were burnt alive and 21 others injured after a sleeper coach bus caught fire following a collision with a container truck in Chitradurga district of Karnataka in the early hours of Thursday.

Chitradurga Superintendent of Police Ranjit Kumar Bandaru said the death toll in the bus tragedy stood at six, including four women, a child and the driver of the container truck.

“In total, five dead bodies have been recovered from the Sea Bird sleeper coach bus, which met with an accident and was gutted. Another body has been retrieved from the container truck. We have recovered a total of six bodies,” the SP said.

“The bodies of Bindu, her daughter Greya, Manasa, Navya and Rashmi have been retrieved from the bus. We are identifying the bodies with the help of relatives. In the bus, four adults and one child have died, while the driver of the container truck was killed in the collision,” he said.

The bodies of Bindu and her daughter Greya have been identified. However, relatives of Navya and Manasa are facing difficulty in identification as the two were friends and had the habit of exchanging their chains, the SP said.

Family members are attempting identification based on jewellery, but this has complicated the process. The family of another deceased passenger, Rashmi, has also arrived and is verifying the chain found on the body, he added.

A total of 32 persons, including the driver and conductor, were travelling in the bus. Of these, 28 had booked tickets in advance, while two passengers boarded after the journey began, he said.

The details of the deceased child, Greya, were not mentioned in the booking chart as she was travelling with her mother. Both the bus driver and conductor survived the incident, the SP said.

One passenger who had booked a seat in advance did not board the bus and was therefore not included in the passenger count, he added.

The complete details of all victims are yet to be ascertained.

“One couple who had travelled in the bus were initially reported missing in the morning. Nasrat Unnisa and Syed Zameer Ghouse were not reachable at first. Later, they were contacted and informed us that they were in Sira town and were safe,” the SP said.

“Initially, the child’s body recovered from the bus was not identified separately, as it was believed to be part of another body. Later, forensic science experts confirmed that it was a separate body. It has now been packed and counted separately,” he said.

The bodies will be handed over to the families after DNA samples are collected, the SP added.

According to the police, the incident occurred around 2 a.m. at Gorlattu Cross on National Highway 48 when a container truck coming from the opposite direction jumped the divider and rammed into the bus after the truck driver lost control of the vehicle.

The truck driver has been identified as Kuldeep Yadav from Uttar Pradesh.

Several passengers managed to escape from the bus after it caught fire.

Inspector General of Police (East) B.R. Ravikanthe Gowda said the private sleeper coach bus was hit by the container truck coming from the opposite direction, which crossed the divider and rammed into the bus with full force.

“What we suspect is that the truck directly hit the fuel tank of the bus. Following fuel leakage, the bus caught fire and was completely engulfed,” he stated.

“Some passengers managed to escape from the bus. However, those who were in deep sleep got trapped inside the vehicle,” he added.

According to the police, the private Sea Bird sleeper coach bus was travelling from Bengaluru to the coastal town of Gokarna when it was hit by the truck.

As a result of the accident, traffic was disrupted for several hours on the Bengaluru–Sira stretch of the national highway.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of those who lost their lives in the tragedy and Rs 50,000 each to the injured.

An investigation will be conducted to ascertain the exact cause of the accident and to take necessary action, he said.

Authorities also stated that a bus carrying schoolchildren on an academic tour, which was travelling behind the affected bus, narrowly escaped the accident.

Sachin, the driver of the bus carrying 43 schoolchildren, said he witnessed the container truck coming from the opposite direction jump the divider and hit the diesel tank of the bus.

He said he slowed down his vehicle and swerved to the left.

Sharing the horrific scene, Sachin said that after the collision, people were screaming and shouting.

“I ran towards the bus and went inside. I managed to rescue seven passengers and bring them out. After that, the vehicle exploded and we could not save the others,” he said.

The bus driver, Mohammad Rafeeq, said from his hospital bed that all he remembers is a speeding truck suddenly crashing into his bus.

“I was driving 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 impact, said, “We left Bengaluru around 9 p.m. There were 30 passengers on board. 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.”

IANS