At least nine people were killed after a speeding truck jumped the road divider and crashed head-on into a luxury sleeper bus in Karnataka’s Tumakuru district in the early hours of December 25, police said. The collision sparked a massive fire, leaving the bus completely gutted.
The bus, which was carrying 32 passengers and heading towards Gokarna, was engulfed in flames immediately after the impact, East Zone Inspector General of Police Ravikanthe Gowda told reporters. Most of the victims were trapped inside the vehicle and died in the blaze.
Police said the truck crossed the median and rammed into the oncoming bus. While the bus driver and cleaner managed to escape, the truck’s driver and cleaner were among those killed in the accident.
Several passengers survived by jumping out of the bus moments after the collision, Gowda said. The injured were taken to a hospital in Shira, with at least two of them said to be in critical condition.
A second bus carrying 45 schoolchildren, travelling from T Dasarahalli to Dandeli and following close behind, narrowly escaped the crash. “Fortunately, the driver of the school bus swerved to the other side and avoided the impact. No children were injured,” the officer said.
Police have registered a case and are investigating the exact cause of the accident.