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yesterday

Sleeper Bus Fire After Head-On Crash on Karnataka NH-48 Leaves Multiple Dead

Police suspect a median breach by the lorry, with the impact likely igniting the bus’s fuel tank.

After the bus collided with the speeding truck, eyewitnesses rushed to the scene to pull out the passengers from the bus, which was ablaze.
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Flames and smoke billow out after a bus caught fire following a collision with a truck, in Chitradurga, early 25, December 2025. | PTI
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Overview

  • The private Seabird sleeper coach collided with a container lorry around 2 am near Gorlathu Cross in Hiriyur, Chitradurga, and went up in flames on NH-48.
  • Officials confirmed multiple fatalities with counts varying across reports, while an audit is underway as rescue and recovery continue.
  • About 32 people were on board; at least 21 injured passengers were taken to hospitals in Hiriyur, Chitradurga, Tumakuru and Bengaluru.
  • The lorry driver died at the scene, the bus driver and cleaner escaped, and survivor accounts describe breaking windows to flee the rapidly spreading fire.
  • A case was registered at Hiriyur Rural Police Station, senior police oversaw operations, traffic was disrupted, and ex-gratia was announced by the PM (₹2 lakh/₹50,000) and the Karnataka CM (₹5 lakh/₹50,000).