Overview
- A private sleeper coach collided with a lorry on NH 48 near Hiriyur in Karnataka, and the bus caught fire, with police reporting many fatalities and serious burn injuries.
- News18 cited at least 12 dead in the Chitradurga incident while Hindustan Times reported up to 17 feared, with the official toll pending an audit by authorities.
- In Tamil Nadu’s Cuddalore district, a Chennai-bound state bus suffered a tyre burst, crossed the median, and hit an SUV and a car, leaving at least seven dead, all from the two private vehicles.
- Some outlets reported nine deaths in the Cuddalore crash, and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced ex-gratia payments of Rs 3 lakh for each deceased and Rs 1 lakh for the injured.
- A separate crash near Ranipet injured ten devotees after a tourist bus struck a median, with police citing possible driver drowsiness as a factor and registering a case.