Karnataka - Bangalore   

Four die as bus, tanker collide

Staff Reporter

Bus driver, cleaner killed; two pedestrians run over

ILL-FATED: A private bus and a milk tanker collided on Hosur Road on the outskirts of Bangalore on Wednesday.

BANGALORE: Four persons were killed in a collision between a private bus and a milk tanker on Hosur Road (NH 7) on the outskirts of the city in Attibele police station limits on Wednesday.

The driver and cleaner of the bus were burnt alive as the vehicle caught fire, and two pedestrians were killed after they came under the wheels of the tanker. People broke open the windows of the bus and rescued around 35 passengers.

The police said that around 6.15 a.m., the tanker driver had suddenly taken a U-turn near Goodwill Circle on Hosur Road without switching on the indicators. When the bus rammed the tanker, its fuel tank was damaged and diesel spilled over the road and the bus.

Sparks flew from the tanker's batteries, which were damaged in the collision, and the bus caught fire.

Employees of Hotel Guestline who were returning home after night shift broke open the windows and rescued the passengers. Some passengers suffered minor injuries.

The front portion of the bus was totally mangled, and driver Suresh Kumar and cleaner I. Bhagyarajan were caught under the steering wheel. Efforts made by the public to pull them out were in vain. The bus went up in flames and the two were burnt alive, the police said.

After the collision, the tanker veered and ran over two pedestrians, killing them on the spot. The identity of the two men, suspected to be factory workers, was not known, the police said.

Fire tenders

Fire tenders could not arrive on time as they had to reach from Bangalore. By the time two fire tenders reached the spot, the bus was almost gutted. The tanker was partly burnt, the police said.

The Attibele Police in Bangalore Rural district, who have registered a case, are on the lookout for the tanker driver who ran away after the accident.

The bus, belonging to KPN Travels (India) Ltd. here, was coming to Bangalore from Velankani in Tamil Nadu. It was carrying milk from the Heritage Dairy situated in the industrial area on Hosur Road. Traffic was affected on Hosur Road for nearly an hour following the accident, the police said.

The police said property worth several lakhs of rupees in the bus had been gutted. Several suitcases and bags containing clothes and other costly articles were in the rear cabin of the bus.

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