As investigators piece together the sequence of events behind the horrific Chitradurga bus fire that killed nine people, the driver of the Sea Bird sleeper coach has said he remembers little beyond a speeding truck crashing into his vehicle.
Speaking from his hospital bed, bus driver Rafeeq recalled that he was driving at around 60–70 kmph in the early hours of Thursday when a container truck suddenly rammed into the bus.
“I tried to control the bus, but it was not possible. Even as I attempted to steer the vehicle aside, another bus was moving in the adjacent lane. I don’t know what happened after that. I don’t remember how I got out,” he said.
The accident, which occurred around 2 am on National Highway 48 near Gorlattu Cross in Chitradurga district of Karnataka, led to a massive fire after the bus’s fuel tank was hit. Eight passengers travelling in the sleeper coach were burned alive. The truck driver, identified as Kuldeep, also died in the crash.
How the collision unfolded on NH-48
According to police, the container truck was travelling from the opposite direction when it jumped the divider after the driver reportedly lost control, ramming into the bus with force. Preliminary findings suggest the truck directly struck the diesel tank, causing fuel leakage and an immediate blaze that engulfed the sleeper coach.
Bus assistant Mohammad Sadiq, who survived the crash, said the bus had left Bengaluru around 9 pm with 30 passengers on board. “We left Bengaluru around 9 pm. There were 30 passengers on board. I was sleeping when the incident occurred. The truck hit the diesel tank. Due to the impact, I was thrown out of the bus. The driver was also thrown out,” he said.
Those seated or sleeping inside the sleeper compartments had little chance to escape once the fire spread, police said.
Nine killed, 21 injured; most out of danger
IGP (East) BR Ravikanthe Gowda said a total of 32 people, including the driver and assistant, were travelling in the bus from Bengaluru to Gokarna. Of the 21 injured, 11 were taken to a hospital in Hiriyur, nine to Sira, and three to Tumakuru. One patient with 15–20 per cent burn injuries has been shifted to Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru, while the rest are stated to be out of danger.
Police said some bodies were severely charred due to the intensity of the fire, complicating identification. DNA experts from Bengaluru and Scene of Crime Officers are at the site, and post-mortem examinations will be conducted before the bodies are handed over to families.
Schoolchildren escape in near-miss
In a rare stroke of luck, 42 schoolchildren travelling in another bus on an academic trip narrowly escaped the tragedy. The bus, which was heading to Dandeli, was hit by the burning sleeper coach, but its driver managed to steer it away, breaking through the highway fencing before coming to a halt on the service road.
“It is sheer luck. The bus carrying schoolchildren on a tour to Dandeli was travelling next to the bus that caught fire. It was hit by the sleeper coach bus. The vehicle swerved to the extreme left, broke through the highway fencing, and came to a halt on the service road. Fortunately, none of the schoolchildren were injured,” IGP Gowda said.
Alternative arrangements were made, and the trip has since resumed. The school bus driver, an eyewitness, also helped rescue several trapped passengers, according to police.
Investigation underway, traffic disrupted
Authorities have attributed the accident to the negligence of the truck driver and said a detailed investigation is underway. Traffic on the Bengaluru–Sira stretch of NH-48 was disrupted for several hours following the crash.
Police said more details would emerge as the probe progresses.