Karnataka Volvo bus mishap: 7 dead, 40 injured; owner booked

Zee Media Bureau

Bangalore: In a tragic incident seven people were charred to death and 40 others injured when a Mumbai-bound Volvo bus from Bangalore caught fire after hitting a road divider near Kunimelli bridge in Haveri district of Karnataka early Thursday. The bus, which had left Bangalore last night, was ferrying 52 passengers. Superintendent of Police Shashi Kumar told reporters that 41 people on board the bus managed to escape unhurt after the tragedy struck. “The bodies are yet to be identified,” he added. The tragic incident happened when the bus was travelling in Haveri district at about 3 am when it hit the divider and its fuel tank caught fire. Some of the injured are being treated in a hospital at Haveri district and some others are being given medical treatment at the Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences Hospital. The bus owner said the cleaner was safe but he had no information about the two drivers, with whom he had been trying to establish contact. A case has been registered and the local police are trying to nab the two drivers. The tragedy comes two weeks after 45 people had died when a Hyderabad-bound bus from Bangalore caught fire after hitting the median on the national highway in Mahabubnagar district of Andhra Pradesh.