9 Dead as Sleeper Bus Catches Fire After Lorry Collision in Karnataka.
At least nine people were charred to death after a private sleeper bus caught fire following a collision with a container lorry in Chitradurga district, Karnataka, on Thursday.
The bus, traveling from Bengaluru to Gokarna, was hit head-on by the lorry around 2 am, police said. The impact caused the bus to immediately burst into flames. Authorities suspect the lorry driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel; he died in the accident.
There were 32 passengers on board. Nine lost their lives, while 21 others were injured and rushed to hospitals in Hiriyur and Chitradurga for treatment. Survivor Aditya recounted, “I fell down after the accident, broke the glass, and managed to escape. Many people were screaming, but by then the bus was engulfed in flames.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the tragedy, offering condolences and announcing ex-gratia payments of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.
This comes a day after a separate incident in Tamil Nadu, where nine people were killed when a government bus swerved into oncoming traffic following a tyre burst, colliding with two vehicles. Four others, including two children, were seriously injured and are undergoing treatment.
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