Chitradurga, Karnataka: A luxury sleeper bus was involved in an accident with a container truck and subsequently caught fire on National Highway 48 near Hiriyur in the early hours of Thursday. The collision claimed eleven lives at least and injured many. The majority of the passengers were burnt alive in the bus which was carrying 32 travelers from Bengaluru to Gokarna.

Accident Details

According to the police and other witnesses, the truck driver had entirely lost control of his vehicle, consequently moving over to the opposite side of the road and crashing into the bus. The bus driver and the conductor were able to get out of the vehicle before the truck driver and his assistant were killed instantly. A few of the bus passengers got out, while the injured ones were transported to a Tumakuru district hospital in Shira.

Emergency Response

Indeed! Three fire tenders and SDRF troops came on time, extinguishing the fire in twenty-five minutes. Recovery and rescue trabajo went on till 8 AM.

Official Reactions

• President Droupadi Murmu was sorry for the victims and indulged in healing prayers.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the tragedy a calamity and announced 200 thousand rupees as the compensation amount for the deceased and 50 thousand rupees for the injured victims.
• The premier of Karnataka, Siddaramaiah, and his Deputy, D.K. Shivakumar, not only expressed their sorrow but also very vocally pushed for a thorough investigation into the issue.
• Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, along with Congress party’s Karnataka Ministers Satish Jarkiholi and Laxmi Hebbalkar, also expressed their utter disbelief.
• Moreover, K. Atchannaidu, an Andhra Pradesh minister, was one of the first people to offer condolences, as the incident took place very close to the border of his state.

Investigation and Cause

As per the police report, the truck that was on its way to Bengaluru first crashed into the median, and then went into the opposite lane, hitting the bus. The fire in the bus’s fuel tank caused a lot of deaths. The initial reports indicate speeding and the truck driver being negligent as the main reason.

The horrible accident has again questioned the safety of roads on NH 48 and therefore calls for better control of traffic regulations for heavy vehicles.