Five passengers including three children who were heading towards Bengaluru from Vijayappura in a private bus were charred to death when the bus caught fire near K R Halli in Hiryur taluk in the wee hours of Wednesday.
Vijayapura Superintendent of Police Anupam Agarwal said the deceased have been identified as Sheela Ravi (33), Sparsha (8), Samruddha (5), Kavitha Vinayak (29) and Nishchita (3).
The bus bearing the registration number KA 51-D 7449 was heading towards Bengaluru ferrying more than 35 passengers. When the bus caught fire, passengers attempted to come out of the vehicle but some sustained severe injuries. According to ANI, 27 persons have been injured. They are undergoing treatment in general hospital in Hiryur town.
On hearing the news, police and firefighting staff rushed to the spot and attempted to douse the flame.
According to one of the passengers, the bus left Vijayapura at 11:00 pm on Tuesday and ran for five hours without any stop. All the passengers were asleep.
The engine might have caught fire that led to the mishap, he alleged.
"When the bus caught fire, the driver parked the vehicle and fled the spot. When we were awake, there was no space to get down from the bus. So we came out of the bus by breaking windows," the passenger said.