5 Dead As Bus Goes Up In Flames After Collision With Truck In Karnataka

At least five people were burned alive after a private sleeper bus caught fire following being hit by a truck in Karnataka's Chitradurga district. The bus was travelling from Bengaluru to Shivamogga, covering over 300 kilometers, when the accident occurred on the National Highway-48 (NH-48) in the early hours of Thursday, around 2:30 am.

The bus was hit by a truck coming from the other side after it reportedly jumped the divider and crashed into the bus.

"A lorry jumped over the divider and hit the bus early Thursday morning. Preliminary investigation suggests the lorry might have hit the bus's fuel tank, leading to fuel gushing out. A few passengers managed to escape the fire," Ravikant Gowda, Inspector General of Police, said.

🔴#BREAKING | Karnataka Bus Fire Kills 10 Bus Catches Fire After Collision With Truck In Chitradurgahttps://t.co/T5pEfrQUYB

NDTV's @umasudhir joins @reetksahni with more details pic.twitter.com/UxW8R3pZ2y

— NDTV (@ndtv) December 25, 2025

The bus, belonging to Seabird Coach, reportedly had 32 people on board, including the driver and conductor, and was engulfed in flames.

Sachin, who was on the road at the time of the accident, witnessed the crash. "The Seabird bus overtook us, and then a container truck, which was coming from the opposite side, jumped the divider and collided into the sleeper bus. The truck collided close to the area where the diesel tank was located," he said.

"People were screaming at that time," said Aditya, one of the passengers, while recalling the horrific accident. Sharing how he escaped the burning bus, Aditya added, "The accident happened, and I fell. I saw fire all around. The door could not be opened. We broke the glass and tried to escape... People tried to save others, but the fire was spreading fast, so it became difficult."

A woman, travelling to Gokarna, was stuck in a long traffic jam allegedly due to the bus accident. 

"We are on the Tumkur road, and unfortunately, a bus has caught fire. The bus is 8 km ahead of us, and we are stuck in this long traffic jam that will take another two to three hours to be cleared," the woman said in a short video.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences to the families of the Chitradurga bus accident victims. He also announced Rs 2 lakh financial assistance to the families of the passengers killed in the fire and Rs 50,000 to those injured.

Deeply saddened by the loss of lives due to a mishap in the Chitradurga district of Karnataka. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May those injured recover at the earliest.

An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each…

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) December 25, 2025

Shocked by the news of the accident, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivkumar extended condolences to the families of those who lost their lives.

"I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. May such tragedies never recur," he added.

ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನಿಂದ ಗೋಕರ್ಣಕ್ಕೆ ತೆರಳುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ಬಸ್ ಮತ್ತು ಟ್ರಕ್ ನಡುವೆ ಹಿರಿಯೂರು ಬಳಿ ಅಪಘಾತ ಸಂಭವಿಸಿ ಹಲವರು ಸಜೀವ ದಹನಗೊಂಡಿರುವ ಸುದ್ದಿ ತಿಳಿದು ತೀವ್ರ ಆಘಾತವಾಗಿದೆ. ಮೃತಪಟ್ಟವರಿಗೆ ನನ್ನ ಸಂತಾಪಗಳನ್ನು ತಿಳಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ. ಗಾಯಾಳುಗಳು ಶೀಘ್ರ ಗುಣಮುಖರಾಗಲಿ ಎಂದು ಹಾರೈಸುತ್ತೇನೆ. ಇಂತಹ ದುರಂತಗಳು ಮರುಕಳಿಸದಿರಲಿ.

— DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) December 25, 2025

Karnataka BJP President Vijayendra Yediyurappa also shared the news of the accident. "I pray that God grants eternal peace to those who have lost their lives in this horrific tragedy, and that the injured recover fully as soon as possible. My deepest condolences to the families of the departed," he wrote on X.

ಚಿತ್ರದುರ್ಗದ ಬಳಿ ಖಾಸಗಿ ಸ್ಲೀಪರ್ ಕೋಚ್ ಬಸ್ ಹೊತ್ತಿ ಉರಿದು 10ಕ್ಕೂ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಮಂದಿ ಸಾವನ್ನಪ್ಪಿದ್ದಾರೆ ಎನ್ನುವ ಆಘಾತಕಾರಿ ಸುದ್ದಿ ಅತೀವ ದುಃಖವನ್ನು ತಂದಿದೆ. ಈ ಭೀಕರ ದುರಂತದಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಧಿವಶರಾದವರಿಗೆ ದೇವರು ಸದ್ಗತಿ ಕರುಣಿಸಲಿ, ಗಾಯಾಳುಗಳು ಆದಷ್ಟು ಶೀಘ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ಪೂರ್ಣ ಗುಣಮುಖರಾಗಿ ಚೇತರಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲಿ ಎಂದು ಪ್ರಾರ್ಥಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ. ಅಗಲಿದವರ…

— Vijayendra Yediyurappa (@BYVijayendra) December 25, 2025

A similar accident was reported from Telangana earlier in November, in which 20 people died after a passenger bus collided with a gravel-laden truck on the Hyderabad-Bijapur highway. The accident took place in Telangana's Rangareddy district, about 60 km from Hyderabad.

The bus, belonging to the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation, reportedly had 70 passengers on board. It was travelling from Tandur in Vikarabad district to Hyderabad when it collided with a truck laden with construction material. The gravel loaded on the truck fell into the bus, burying several passengers.