Four bodies were found in the bus that caught fire following a collision with a container truck in Chitradurga, Karnataka. Among the deceased is the driver of the container truck. Three bus passengers are currently missing, but authorities remain hopeful about their survival. The total death toll from the incident has reached five.
Preliminary investigations indicate that 32 individuals, including the bus driver and assistant, were onboard the bus during the accident. Twenty-five injured passengers are receiving medical treatment, while efforts to locate the missing three individuals are ongoing. The bodies of the deceased have been sent for DNA profiling and post-mortem examinations as they were severely charred and unidentifiable.
The Inspector General of Police (East) B.R. Ravikanthe Gowda clarified the situation regarding the fatalities, confirming the deaths of four passengers and the truck driver. He mentioned that efforts are being made to establish contact with the missing individuals, with one person’s phone ringing but unanswered, and the other two unreachable. The authorities suspect that the missing persons may have lost their phones during the accident.
Survivor accounts shed light on the harrowing experience, with one passenger recalling how she escaped through a broken window at the rear of the bus following the collision. The incident occurred in the early hours near Gorlattu Cross on National Highway 48 when a truck veered across the divider and collided with the bus. The truck driver, identified as Kuldeep, also lost his life in the tragic event.
Authorities, including Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and other officials, have expressed shock and offered condolences for the lives lost in the Chitradurga bus tragedy. A comprehensive investigation into the incident has been promised by CM Siddaramaiah.
