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.
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New Zealand beat India by 50 runs in fourth T20I
Visakhapatnam (PTI): New Zealand defeated India by 50 runs in the fourth T20 International here on Wednesday.
Asked to bat first, New Zealand scored 215 for seven after the visitors got a flying start with Tim Seifert (62 off 36 balls) and Devon Conway (44 off 23) adding 100 runs in just 8.2 overs.
However, the Indian bowlers pulled things back somewhat in the back 10 with Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav picking up two wickets each before Daryl Mitchell provided the late impetus with an 18-ball 39.
In reply, India were all out for 165 in 18.4 overs despite Shivam Dube's brutal 23-ball 65 and Rinku Singh's 30-ball 39.
Skipper Mitchell Santner picked up 3/26 in four overs to emerge as the best bowler for New Zealand.
Brief scores:
New Zealand: 215/7 in 20 overs (Tim Seifert 62, Devon Conway 44, Daryl Mitchell not out 39; Arshdeep Singh 2/33, Kuldeep Yadav 2/29).
India: 165 all out in 18.4 overs (Shivam Dube 65, Rinku Singh 39; Mitchell Santner 3/26).
