'Glad it was a non-AC bus': Survivors of Chitradurga bus accident recall dramatic escape from burning vehicle

Bengaluru: A winter vacation to Gokarna turned tragic even before it began, as a bus travelling to the beach town from Bengaluru went up in flames in Chitradurga on Thursday morning. 

The 32-seater non-AC Seabird Tourists bus departed from Majestic at 8:30 pm on Wednesday, with a majority of the passengers headed to Gokarna, barring a few whose destinations were Kumta and Shivamogga. 

Passengers DH spoke to remained grateful for having booked a non-AC bus. 

"When we tried to get out of the bus, we realised that the front door was jammed. Despite many attempts to push it open, it wouldn't budge. That's when my wife suggested we jump from the window as the fire was getting stronger. In that moment, we were so glad that this was a non-AC bus," recalled Hemraj Kumhar, who had booked an upper berth close to the main door. 

Hemraj, a 37-year-old resident of Varthur, was travelling to Gokarna for a weekend getaway with his wife and eight-year-old son. While his son remained unharmed, his wife, Kalpana Prajapati, sustained injuries to her back. 

"We were all asleep when the accident happened. I only woke up when I started to have difficulty breathing, and the window rod suddenly fell on my face. By the time we made it out, the driver, the conductor and a few other passengers had already exited the bus. Moments after we exited, the entire bus went up in flames," he told this reporter. 

The family made it to the local hospital by hitching a ride and eventually reached Bengaluru by Thursday noon. 

Similarly, 23-year-old IT employee Kiran Pal H was travelling to Gokarna with his friends Kirthan M, Nanditha GB and Devika H. All four were treated at Victoria Hospital on Thursday — two for burns and two for other injuries. 

Kiran's brother, Kishan Pal, learned about the accident at 6 am. "Although the accident had happened much earlier, my brother didn't want to worry us, so he called once he was at the local hospital. He has sustained injuries on his arms and legs from jumping from the window. Several glass shards have pierced through his skin. All of them had to jump through the window, as that was the easiest exit," he shared. 

Only one passenger missed the bus. 

Shashikant M, 25, thanked his stars for having escaped the unfortunate accident after he missed the bus due to his inbound flight from Andhra Pradesh getting delayed.