NEW DELHI, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- At least nine people were killed and many others injured early Thursday when a private sleeper bus caught fire after being hit by a large truck in the southwestern Indian state of Karnataka, police said.
The accident took place around 2:00 a.m. local time on the highway at Gorlathu village of Hiriyur area in Chitradurga district, about 203 km northwest of Bengaluru, the capital city of Karnataka.
According to police, the bus was hit by a truck coming from the other side after reportedly jumping the divider and crashing into it.
Reports said the bus had 32 people on board, including the driver and conductor, when it caught fire and was engulfed in flames.
Deadly road accidents are common in India, often caused by overloading, bad condition of roads and reckless driving. ■
