INDIA – At least 11 people were killed and several others injured in a Karnataka road accident when a bus carrying 32 passengers caught fire after it collided with a container truck on National Highway 48 in Karnataka’s Chitradurga district, in the early hours of Thursday Dec. 25.
The bus was travelling from Bengaluru to Gorkana, according to officials.
#WATCH | Karnataka | An accident took place between a lorry and a private bus near Gorlathu village in Chitradurga district on National Highway 48. Multiple dead bodies seen at the spot. Rescue operations underway. More details awaited
It became engulfed in flames under the impact of the collision, Ravikanthe Gowda, a senior police official, told reporters while confirming the death toll.
Gowda said most of the victims were burnt alive inside the vehicle, and injured passengers were shifted to a hospital for treatment.
Reports said the bus was hit by the truck, which was coming from the other side, after it jumped the divider and crashed into the bus.
VIDEO | Chitradurga, Karnataka: Aftermath of the fatal lorry–bus collision on National Highway 48 near Gorlathu village in Hiriyur taluk, which claimed over 10 lives.
Authorities and emergency teams are carrying out recovery operations as the charred bus is being cleared from… pic.twitter.com/ZMZHkYRxbh
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was saddened by the accident.
“Deeply saddened by the loss of lives due to a mishap in the Chitradurga district of Karnataka,” Modi wrote on the US social media company X’s platform.
“Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May those injured recover at the earliest,” he said.
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