Death toll in Karnataka bus tragedy mounts to seven

Chitradurga: The death toll in the bus tragedy in Karnataka’s Chitradurga mounted to seven after the ill-fated bus driver succumbed to injuries in the wee hours on Friday.

At least six people were burnt alive, and 21 others suffered burns after a sleeper coach bus caught fire following a collision with a container truck in Chitradurga district of Karnataka on Thursday.

The bus driver, 42-year-old Mohammad Rafeeq, a resident of Shiggaon in Haveri district, was admitted to KIMS Hospital in Hubballi city.

He was thrown out of the bus along with the assistant following the collision. Police stated that Mohammad Rafeeq underwent surgery on Thursday night but succumbed to his injuries in the early hours on Friday.

The bus driver, Mohammad Rafeeq, had 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 condition of another passenger, Manjunath, was serious. He has suffered 30 per cent burns and is currently undergoing treatment in the burns ward ICU of Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru.

Meanwhile, authorities stated that the charred bodies of five passengers would be handed over to their families after the DNA test results are received. Bone samples have been sent for forensic testing, and the results are expected within a day or two, police said.

Police have completed the identification of the deceased.

The victims have been identified as 26-year-old A.M. Navya, a software professional working at a private company in Manyata Tech Park in Bengaluru. She hailed from Ekalenahalli near Channarayapattana in Hassan district.

Another victim, 27-year-old Manasa, was a resident of Teggenahalli Layout in Channarayapattana in Hassan district. She was also a software professional working at HCL in Manyata Tech Park.

Twenty-two-year-old Rashmi Ratnakara Mahale hailed from Shirali village near Bhatkal town in Karwar district. She was an IT professional.

The other deceased include 29-year-old Bindu and her five-year-old daughter Greya, residents of Girinagar locality in Bengaluru.

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

Five bodies were recovered from the bus, which was gutted. Another body has been retrieved from the container truck. The authorities had recovered a total of six bodies.

A total of 32 people, including the driver and conductor, were travelling in the bus.

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 hit 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.

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.

IANS