At least seven people, including a two-year-old child, were charred to death and 40 were injured when a Mumbai-bound bus caught fire late in Karnataka on Thursday.
Hours after leaving from Bangalore, the private-run Volvo was driving through a small town called Haveri in the state. At around 3 am, after the Volvo hit a road divider, the diesel tank burst and caught fire.
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The bus was carrying 52 passengers and two drivers. Forty-five people managed to break the emergency windows and jump out of the bus when the accident happened. The bodies of the seven who died in the accident were charred beyond recognition and are yet to be identified.
Fire service personnel and Haveri district police rushed to the spot, Inspector General of Police (North Range), Bhaskar Rao told The Hindu. The Karnataka police are on the lookou for the two drivers who are on the run. The injured passengers have been shifted to the district hospital and some were taken to Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences Hospital in Hubli.
The Volvo reportedly belonged to National Travels, which is owned by Shakeel Ahmed, brother of JD-S MLA Jameel Ahmed, reported NDTV. The police have reportedly booked the owner and driver for the accident.
Wednesday's incident took place two weeks after a bus tragedy in Andhra Pradesh which left 45 people charred to death.
The luxury bus was en route to Hyderabad when it hit a road divider on the national highway in Mahabubnagar district, when the fuel tank burst and caused a massive fire.
To know more about the accident or the injured passengers in the Mumbai-bound volvo, people may contact
Haveri police - 08375232333;
Haveri Police control room - 08375237368 and 9480804545;
Haveri Superintendent of Police - 9480804501;
Additional SP - 9480804502
