The visuals surfacing from the site showed massive flames engulfing the bus, spreading through the windows and roof as dense smoke emerged from the vehicle.

Following the devastating accident, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah has called for a proper investigation into the accident.

Eyewitnesses recall panic after collision

After the bus collided with the speeding truck, eyewitnesses rushed to the scene to pull out the passengers from the bus, which was ablaze.

One of the survivors of the accident, Aditya, told news agency PTI of the moment panic set in as they saw flames inside the bus.

“We broke the glass and tried to escape. People were screaming at that time. Some tried to save others, but the fire was spreading rapidly, making rescue difficult,” he said.

Meanwhile, an eyewitness saw the moment the truck went over the divider and hit the bus. Speaking to PTI, he said that the truck driver allegedly lost control and hit the bus.

“The truck driver lost control, probably because he was drowsy. Two buses were coming from the opposite direction. The truck has hit one bus (which caught fire), the other bus with school children immediately veered to the other side. If not, that bus also would have caught fire,” he said.

He added that the bus probably caught on fire due to a leak in the tanker.

“If there had been no leakage, there would not have been fire,” he said.

The driver of the bus, who was carrying school children from Bengaluru to Dandeli, said the truck jumped the divider and came to the wrong side of the road.

“The truck directly hit the diesel tank of the Seabird bus. So I immediately slowed down my bus and veered to the left….that bus caught fire because of a diesel leak. On hearing people shouting, we tried to rescue as many people as possible,” the driver told PTI.

Also Read | ‘Tried to control but failed’: Karnataka bus driver says speeding truck caused crash

CM calls for probe

After announcing an ex-gratia of five lakh rupees for the families of the deceased, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah has called for a proper investigation into the accident.

“My heart shook hearing the news of the horrific accident involving a lorry and a bus near Chitradurga in which many passengers were burnt alive. It is regrettable that the journey of those who were going home for the Christmas holidays ended in such a tragedy,” he wrote on social media platform X.

The CM added that a proper investigation will be conducted to find out the cause of the ill-fated accident.

“I have obtained information from the authorities about the incident and have instructed them to come to the aid of the victims. An investigation will be conducted into this matter, the cause of the accident will be found and necessary action will be taken,” he added.

(With inputs from PTI)