K'taka bus tragedy: All I remember is overspeeding truck hitting my bus, says driver

Chitradurga, Dec 25 Recounting the tragedy in which nine people were burned alive, including eight passengers travelling in the Sea Bird sleeper coach bus in Chitradurga district of Karnataka in the early hours of Thursday, the bus driver, Rafeeq, said from his hospital bed that all he remembers is a speeding truck suddenly crashing into his bus.

“I was driving the bus at a speed of around 60 to 70 kmph. All I remember is a container truck coming and hitting my vehicle. 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 recalled.

The bus assistant, Mohammad Sadiq, who also managed to escape after the container truck hit the bus, said, “We left Bengaluru around 9 p.m. 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.”

Meanwhile, IGP (East) B.R. Ravikanthe Gowda said that 42 schoolchildren travelling in another bus on an academic trip had a miraculous escape in the accident. Even after their bus was hit by the sleeper coach bus that caught fire, its driver managed to control the vehicle, and all the children are safe with none sustaining injuries.

“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.

He added that authorities made alternate arrangements for the children to continue their tour, and the trip has resumed. The driver of the bus is an eyewitness, and his statement has been recorded.

“The tragedy is unfortunate. A detailed investigation will be taken up,” IGP Gowda said.

Meanwhile, eyewitnesses stated that the school bus driver got out of his vehicle and rescued several passengers who were trapped inside the bus. Police said that due to the intensity of the fire, several bodies were severely charred inside the bus.

At least nine people were burned alive, and 21 others were injured after the sleeper coach bus caught fire following a collision with a truck on Thursday.

According to the police, the incident occurred around 2 a.m. at Javanagondanahalli village near Gorlattu Cross on National Highway 48 when a truck coming from the opposite direction jumped the divider and rammed into the bus after the driver lost control.

The truck driver also died in the incident. He has been identified as Kuldeep. Several passengers managed to escape from the bus after it caught fire.

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