At least seven people were charred to death after a Hyderabad-bound sleeper bus caught fire in the early hours of Friday in Kalaburagi district of Karnataka.
Sources said that all the deceased persons hailed from Hyderabad. About 12 passengers were injured who have been admitted to a hospital in Kalaburagi.
Isha panth, Superintendent of Police of Kalaburagi district said that as per preliminary investigations it was suspected that 7 to 8 passengers were stuck inside the charred bus.
"However, at this stage it is not possible to tell the exact number of deaths in the tragedy," she said.
The incident took place around 6.30 a.m. in the outskirts of Kamalapur taluk in Kalaburagi district on the Bidar-Srirangapatna highway. The bus was travelling from Goa to Hyderabad.
Police sources said that the bus had caught fire after colliding with a lorry. The bus then collided with the bridge and also veered off the road due to the impact of the accident. More than 35 passengers were travelling in the bus at the time of the accident.
The private bus belonged to theOrange company in Goa. The locals were not able to go near the bus as it caught fire soon after the collision. They informed the police, Fire Brigade and Emergency services.
