The night began quietly on a Karnataka highway, much like countless other long-distance journeys. The hum of the engine, the gentle sway of the sleeper bus, and rows of passengers lulled into sleep created a sense of routine calm. But in the early hours of the morning, that calm was shattered in seconds, as a speeding container truck crossed the divider in Chitradurga district and ploughed into a private sleeper bus, triggering a deadly fire that turned the highway into a scene of horror.

For survivors, the memories of that night are etched in fragments of sound, heat, panic and helplessness—moments that continue to replay long after the flames were extinguished.

A Sudden Impact

Rafiq, the driver of the private bus that bore the brunt of the collision, is now recovering in hospital. Still weak and in pain, he says he remembers little beyond the terrifying instant when the truck appeared in front of him.

“It was over-speeding,” he said from his hospital bed. “I was maintaining a speed of around 60 to 70 kilometres per hour. I saw the vehicle coming from the front. After that, I only remember the vehicle hitting the bus.”

Investigators say the container truck crossed the central divider at high speed and struck the middle portion of the sleeper bus—close to its diesel tank. That single detail would prove catastrophic.

Rafiq said he instinctively tried to regain control when he realised the truck was veering toward him. “I tried to control the bus when I saw the vehicle approaching from the opposite direction. My bus even touched another vehicle that was moving next to us. I do not know what vehicle it was. But I could not control it,” he recalled.

The impact was violent. The force threw Rafiq out of the driver’s cabin, leaving him with serious injuries to his hands and legs. He survived, but many passengers inside the bus never got the chance to escape.

Thrown Into the Darkness

Inside the bus, most passengers were asleep when the crash occurred, sometime between 1.30 am and 2 am. Among them was Sadhik, the bus cleaner, who was jolted awake by the impact and flung out of the vehicle.

“I was sleeping in the bus at night. At that time, I fell out of the bus due to the heavy impact,” he said. “I was in a state where I did not know what had happened.”

When Sadhik managed to lift his head and look back, the sight before him was surreal and terrifying. Flames were already licking the sides of the bus.

“When I looked up, the bus was on fire,” he said quietly.

What followed is a blur. He does not remember who pulled him to safety or how he was moved away from the wreckage. Shock, smoke and confusion overwhelmed him as the fire spread rapidly through the vehicle.

“As soon as the accident happened, the locals rushed to our aid,” Sadhik said. “There was panic everywhere.”

A Narrow Escape for Another Bus

Just minutes before the crash, another bus had overtaken Rafiq’s vehicle. Driven by Sachin and operated by Seabird Tourists, the bus was carrying 42 schoolchildren on a three-day excursion to Dandeli.

“The Seabird Tourists bus had just overtaken mine,” Sachin said. “Within a minute, everything changed.”

Sachin saw the container truck hurtle across the divider and crash into the sleeper bus behind him. “The container truck came and hit the middle portion of the bus. It struck the diesel tank,” he recalled.

The impact sent shockwaves down the road. Sachin struggled to control his own bus as debris and shattered glass flew. “I tried to control my vehicle and managed to steer it to the left and stop it. The front glass broke, but nobody was injured in my vehicle,” he said.

Though injured himself, Sachin did not hesitate.

“I had a head injury due to the glass, but I got down immediately,” he said. “There were children in my bus, and I feared what could happen next.”

Racing Against Fire

Leaving his own passengers to the care of others, Sachin ran back toward the burning sleeper bus. Flames were already rising high, and the smell of diesel filled the air.

“I saw people trapped inside,” he said. “Some of us began pulling passengers out through the windows.”

Despite his injury, Sachin and a few others managed to rescue several people. “We got at least seven passengers out safely,” he said.

But the fire was spreading with terrifying speed.

“By then, there was an explosion,” Sachin said. “After that, it became impossible to go near the vehicle.”

One moment continues to haunt him. “One of the women I saved kept pleading with me. She was begging me to save her child who was still inside the bus,” he said, his voice breaking. “Unfortunately, nobody could go towards the bus. The flames had spread too rapidly.”

Within minutes, the sleeper bus was completely engulfed. The fire burned so intensely that rescuers were forced to retreat, powerless to help those still trapped inside.

Chaos on the Highway

By the time emergency services arrived, the bus had been reduced to a charred shell. Locals who rushed to the scene described scenes of chaos—people screaming for help, others running in shock, and flames lighting up the dark stretch of highway.

Firefighters battled the blaze while police cordoned off the area. Ambulances ferried the injured to nearby hospitals. For many families, the night ended not with rest at their destinations, but with devastating news.

Authorities later confirmed that the collision and subsequent fire claimed multiple lives. Investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the truck’s loss of control and whether overspeeding, fatigue or mechanical failure played a role.

Trauma That Lingers

For survivors, physical injuries are only part of the ordeal. The psychological scars may take far longer to heal.

Rafiq, the bus driver, struggles to come to terms with what happened. “I don’t remember how I survived,” he said. “I only remember the impact.”

Sadhik says the images of the burning bus return whenever he closes his eyes. “The fire spread so fast,” he said. “There was no time.”

Sachin, too, is haunted by what he could not do. “I keep thinking about that child,” he said. “If the fire had not spread so quickly, maybe more lives could have been saved.”

Questions and Warnings

The tragedy has once again raised concerns about highway safety, enforcement of speed limits, and the risks posed by heavy vehicles crossing dividers. It has also highlighted the vulnerability of sleeper buses, where passengers are lying down and may take longer to react during emergencies.

As investigators piece together the final moments before the crash, survivors are left with memories of a journey that began in sleep and ended in fire.

For them, the Karnataka highway will never again be just a road—it will always be the place where an ordinary night turned into a nightmare of fear, flames and irreversible loss.