A tragic bus accident occurred early Thursday on the Bengaluru-Pune national highway in Karnataka, resulting in the deaths of six people, including a five-year-old girl. The sleeper coach, which was carrying 31 passengers, was struck by a container truck around 2 am near Hiriyur in Chitradurga district, leaving 28 others injured from burns.
Among the deceased were 29-year-old Bindu Darshan and her daughter Greya, along with young software professionals HC Manasa (27), AM Navya (26), and Rashmi R Mahale (24). The truck driver, identified as Kuldeep, aged 29, was also found dead in his cabin.
Emergency responders discovered that Greya had died in her mother’s embrace after extinguishing the flames that engulfed the bus. The bus driver, Mohammed Rafiq, was hospitalized with injuries, and the cleaner, Sadiq, was thrown from the vehicle. Reports indicate that fellow motorists assisted in rescuing some passengers trapped inside the burning bus.
The ill-fated vehicle was operated by Seabird Travels and was en route from Bengaluru to Gokarna, a coastal town in Uttara Kannada. Authorities reported that the container truck, registered in Haryana, veered across the road divider and crashed into the right side of the bus, igniting a fire that spread rapidly, trapping passengers who were sleeping in the lower berths.
Investigators, led by IG (Eastern Range) BR Ravikanthe Gowda, suggested that preliminary findings indicated negligence on the part of the truck driver. In response to the tragedy, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced compensation of ₹5 lakh to the families of the deceased and ₹50,000 for the injured. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also declared ₹2 lakh for the families of those who lost their lives and ₹50,000 for the injured victims.
This incident adds to a series of deadly bus accidents in India. Recently, on October 24, 19 people died in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, due to another bus fire, and another tragic incident occurred on October 14 when a bus traveling from Jaisalmer to Jodhpur caught fire in Nagaur, leading to 11 fatalities.
Original Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/karnataka-bus-tragedy-5-year-old-girl-among-6-dead-in-fire-28-injured/articleshow/126178766.cms
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Publish Date: 2025-12-26 01:32:00
