Karnataka crash: Tried to avoid oncoming truck but failed, says bus driver

The driver of the luxury sleeper bus involved in the deadly accident in Chitradurga district has said he attempted to control the vehicle after spotting an overspeeding truck approaching from the opposite direction, but was unable to avoid the collision.

At least nine people were killed when a container truck crossed the road divider and slammed into the private sleeper bus near Hiriyur around 2 am on Thursday, causing the bus to burst into flames, according to senior police officials.

Rafiq, the bus driver, who is currently undergoing treatment, told reporters that the truck was travelling at high speed when it veered into the bus’s lane. “The truck came from the other side of the divider and hit us. It was overspeeding. I was driving at around 60 to 70 kmph,” he said.

He added that he noticed the truck moments before the crash and tried to regain control of the bus. “I tried to steer away when I saw the vehicle coming towards us. The bus even brushed another vehicle that was moving alongside us, though I do not know what it was. After the impact, I don’t remember anything,” Rafiq said.

The cleaner of the bus, Mohammed Sadiq, who suffered minor injuries and is also being treated in hospital, said he was thrown out of the vehicle due to the force of the collision.

“I was asleep at the front of the bus when the accident happened. The truck coming from the opposite direction directly rammed into the diesel tank. The impact broke the glass and I was thrown out of the bus,” Sadiq said.

Police said the collision caused the bus to catch fire, trapping several passengers inside. Rescue operations were carried out in the early hours of the morning, and an investigation has been launched to determine the exact circumstances leading to the accident.

With PTI inputs