Chitradurga: Private sleeper bus catches fire after truck crosses divider; at least 17 burnt alive
Chitradurga: At least 17 passengers were burnt alive in a horrific road accident that occurred in the early hours of Thursday near Gorlattu Cross in Hiriyur taluk of Chitradurga district on National Highway–48.
The tragedy took place when a container truck crossed the road divider and rammed into a private sleeper coach bus coming from the opposite direction. Due to the severity of the collision, the bus immediately caught fire and was engulfed in flames within minutes.
According to police, the rapid spread of fire prevented several passengers from escaping, leading to massive loss of life. Many others sustained serious injuries, and officials fear that the death toll may rise.
The truck was travelling from Hiriyur towards Bengaluru, while the bus was on its way from Bengaluru to Shivamogga. Preliminary investigations indicate that negligence on the part of the truck driver caused the accident. The truck driver, identified as Kuldeep, died on the spot.
Police stated that the sleeper coach bus had a seating capacity of 32 and was carrying 29 passengers at the time of the accident, including 15 women and 14 men. Most of the passengers were residents of Gokarna in Uttara Kannada district, while others were from Kumta and Shivamogga.
The bus driver, conductor, and a few passengers reportedly managed to escape by jumping out of the bus in time, thereby saving their lives.
The accident resulted in a massive traffic jam stretching nearly 30 kilometres on National Highway–48, with vehicles stranded for several hours.
The injured have been admitted to nearby hospitals, and the condition of some is said to be critical.
Chitradurga Superintendent of Police Ranjith visited the accident site and conducted an inspection. A case has been registered at the Hiriyur Rural Police Station, and further investigation is underway.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Small plane crashes in rural area of northeast Colombia, killing all 15 people on board
Bogota (AP): A small plane crashed Wednesday in a rural area of Norte de Santander province in northeast Colombia, killing all 15 people on board, authorities said.
Satena, the state-owned airline that operated the flight, said local officials in the community of Curasica notified authorities about where the plane had gone down and a rescue team was deployed to “assess the condition of the passengers.”
Colombia's Transportation Ministry later released a statement saying that “once the aircraft was located on site, authorities regrettably confirmed that there were no survivors.”
The aircraft, which has a registration number of HK4709, took off at 11:42 am local time from the airport in Cucuta, the department's capital, bound for Ocana, a municipality surrounded by mountains, on a flight that typically lasts about 40 minutes.
The aircraft's final contact with air traffic control came minutes after takeoff, according to a statement released by Satena.
The small plane was carrying two crew members and 13 passengers, including Diogenes Quintero, who represents the victims of the internal armed conflict in his region, the airline said.
