Kalaburagi: Seven people were charred to death while one is feared dead in a fire that broke out in a private sleeper bus following a collision with a goods lorry on the outskirts of Kamalapur village here on Friday morning said Kalaburagi police. A total of 12 people were rescued and taken to the hospital in Kalaburgi, all of whom have been identified to be residents of Hyderabad.
The victims have been identified as Arjun Kumar (Engineer) 37-years-old, his wife Saraladevi, 32, their son Bivan, 4, Deekshit, 9, Anita Raju, 40, Shivakumar, 35, and Ravali, Shivakumar's wife, 30-all residents of Secunderabad.
As per Pawan, Arjun's friend, 24 people had gone to Goa to spend summer vacation on the 28th of this month and were on their way back home when the accident took place. Pawan said Arjun was a marketing executive and his wife a homemaker. The accident occurred around 6 am on the Bidar-Srirangapattan highway when the two vehicles collided near the bridge and a fire broke out.
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The private bus belonged to a Goa-based company, Orange, and was heading towards Hyderabad from Goa. The locals were not able to go near the bus as it caught fire soon after the collision. They informed the police, Fire Brigade, and Emergency services, after which the rescue operation was initiated.