At least five people were burned to death when a private sleeper coach burst into flames after crashing into a container truck in Karnataka’s Chitradurga district early Thursday.
The bus, which was en route from Bengaluru to the coastal town of Gokarna, was struck head-on by the container lorry. Following the impact, the vehicle caught fire almost instantly, reports India Today citing Indian police.
Preliminary findings suggest that the truck driver may have dozed off while driving. According to Chitradurga police, “The container lorry jumped over the divider and hit the bus. The lorry driver is dead. There were 32 people on the bus. We have 21 people injured in hospital, and we are looking for more people.”
Earlier, reports from police had put the death toll at nine, but that number was later revised.
Subsequent search and recovery operations, however, confirmed the deaths of four bus passengers and the lorry driver. “We have not found any more bodies. There are three to four passengers whose phones are currently not reachable. Until bodies are found, they cannot be declared dead,” he said.
He added that police remain optimistic that the missing individuals may still be alive and efforts are ongoing to contact their relatives.
Many others suffered injuries in the accident and were taken to hospitals in Hiriyur and Chitradurga, where they are currently receiving medical care.
