Karnataka Bus Fire Accident: A sleeper bus burst into flames after colliding with a truck at 3 am on NH-48 in Chitradurga, Karnataka. Sleeping passengers in a bus going to Bengaluru-Shivamogga were burnt alive. The question is – was it just an accident or gross negligence?
Bengaluru To Shivamogga Bus Accident: A heart-wrenching road accident took place in Chitradurga district of Karnataka in the early hours of Thursday. A private sleeper bus going from Bengaluru to Shivamogga suddenly burst into flames. This accident happened on National Highway-48 (NH-48), when the bus was in the middle of its more than 300 kilometer long journey. According to preliminary information, a speeding truck coming from the front crossed the divider and entered the other lane and collided directly with the bus. The collision was so strong that it turned into a burning grave in just a few seconds.
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Why did 3 o’clock in the night become the biggest danger?
The accident happened around 3 am on Thursday, when most of the passengers on the bus were in deep sleep. Due to the sudden collision and then fire, the passengers did not even get a chance to recover. By the time the sleeping people could understand, smoke and fire had spread inside the bus. This was the reason why many people could not come out.
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How did the bus catch fire after the collision?
According to eyewitnesses, after the collision with the truck, there was a massive explosion in the front part of the bus. Soon after this, this sleeper bus of Seabird Coach burst into flames. The fire was so strong that within a few minutes the entire bus started burning. The curtains, mattresses and plastic items in the bus further fueled the fire.
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How many people survived and how many died?
According to the information received so far, at least 10 passengers have been burnt alive in this accident. However, 9 people managed to get out without any serious injuries. The administration says that some passengers may still be trapped inside the bus, so the death toll is expected to rise to 17.
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Have such accidents happened before?
Surprisingly, a similar horrific accident took place in Telangana in November. There, a passenger bus collided with a truck laden with gravel on the Hyderabad-Bijapur Highway. 20 people died in that accident. The gravel loaded on the truck had fallen inside the bus, due to which many passengers were buried. There were about 70 passengers in that Telangana State Road Transport Corporation bus.
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Is highway safety under question again?
Such accidents continuously happening have raised serious questions on the safety of heavy vehicles on the National Highway, negligence of drivers and fire safety of buses. Speeding trucks at night, weak dividers and limited fire protection arrangements in buses – all these are becoming major reasons for accidents. This bus accident in Karnataka is not just an accident but a warning. This accident is a painful example of how the combination of sleep, speed and carelessness can snatch many lives in a moment.