A tragic accident in Karnataka's Chitradurga district has claimed the lives of at least 10 people. A private sleeper bus, en route from Bengaluru to Shivamogga, collided with a truck on National Highway-48 (NH-48) in the early hours of Thursday. The impact of the collision resulted in a fire that quickly engulfed the bus, trapping many passengers inside.

The incident occurred around 3 am when most of the passengers were asleep. According to initial reports, a truck traveling from Hiriyur towards Bengaluru crossed the central divider and collided head-on with the bus. The force of the impact caused the bus to immediately burst into flames.

Emergency services rushed to the scene, but the fire had already caused extensive damage, complicating rescue efforts. The blaze completely gutted the bus. Authorities are working to determine the exact number of casualties, and the death toll may rise.

Several passengers who managed to escape the inferno sustained serious injuries and were immediately transported to nearby hospitals in Hiriyur and Chitradurga for treatment.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the accident was a result of negligence on the part of the truck driver. Chitradurga Superintendent of Police Ranjith visited the accident site and is personally overseeing the investigation. A case has been registered at the Hiriyur Rural Police Station, and authorities are conducting further inquiries to establish the sequence of events that led to the tragic collision.

The accident caused significant disruption to traffic on National Highway 48 as emergency teams worked to clear the debris and conduct rescue and recovery operations.

This is a developing story, and further details will be released as they become available.