Seven dead as sleeper bus collides with truck in Chitradurga

The death toll in the bus tragedy in Karnatakas Chitradurga mounted to seven after the illfated bus driver succumbed to injuries in the wee hours on FridayAt least six people were burnt alive and 21 others suffered burns after a sleeper coach bus caught fire following a collision with a container truck in Chitradurga district of Karnataka on ThursdayThe bus driver 42yearold Mohammad Rafeeq a resident of Shiggaon in Haveri district was admitted to KIMS Hospital in Hubballi cityHe was thrown out of the bus along with the assistant following the collisionPolice stated that Mohammad Rafeeq underwent surgery on Thursday night but succumbed to his injuries in the early hours on FridayThe bus driver Mohammad Rafeeq had said from his hospital bed that all he remembers is a speeding truck suddenly crashing into his busI was driving 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 donrsquot know what happened after that I donrsquot remember how I got out he recalledThe condition of another passenger Manjunath was seriousHe has suffered 30 per cent burns and is currently undergoing treatment in the burns ward ICU of Victoria Hospital in BengaluruMeanwhile authorities stated that the charred bodies of five passengers would be handed over to their families after the DNA test results are receivedBone samples have been sent for forensic testing and the results are expected within a day or two police saidPolice have completed the identification of the deceasedThe victims have been identified as 26yearold AM Navya a software professional working at a private company in Manyata Tech Park in BengaluruShe hailed from Ekalenahalli near Channarayapattana in Hassan districtAnother victim 27yearold Manasa was a resident of Teggenahalli Layout in Channarayapattana in Hassan districtShe was also a software professional working at HCL in Manyata Tech ParkTwentytwoyearold Rashmi Ratnakara Mahale hailed from Shirali village near Bhatkal town in Karwar districtShe was an IT professionalThe other deceased include 29yearold Bindu and her fiveyearold daughter Greya residents of Girinagar locality in BengaluruThe deceased truck driver has been identified as Kuldeep Yadav from Uttar PradeshFive bodies were recovered from the bus which was gutted Another body has been retrieved from the container truckThe authorities had recovered a total of six bodiesA total of 32 people including the driver and conductor were travelling in the busAccording to the police the incident occurred around 2 am at Gorlattu Cross on National Highway 48 when a container truck coming from the opposite direction jumped the divider and rammed into the bus after the truck driver lost control of the vehicleThe truck driver has been identified as Kuldeep Yadav from Uttar PradeshSeveral passengers managed to escape from the bus after it caught fireInspector General of Police East BR Ravikanthe Gowda said the private sleeper coach bus was hit by the container truck coming from the opposite direction which crossed the divider and hit the bus with full forceWhat we suspect is that the truck directly hit the fuel tank of the bus Following fuel leakage the bus caught fire and was completely engulfed he statedSome passengers managed to escape from the bus However those who were in deep sleep got trapped inside the vehicle he addedKarnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced an exgratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of those who lost their lives in the tragedy and Rs 50000 each to the injuredAn investigation will be conducted to ascertain the exact cause of the accident and to take necessary action he saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever