Kalaburagi: As many as seven persons charred to death after a bus caught fire in Kamalapura in Kalaburugi District on the wee hours of Friday June 3.

The number expected to rise further as the bus has totally gutted in the fire mishap.

According to initial reports, the bus was coming from Goa and on its way to Hyderabad. Over 30 passengers were in the bus and 15 escaped with minor injuries.

Following the incident, senior police officers rushed to the spot.

Isha Panth, Superintendent of Police of Kalaburagi District said that as per preliminary investigations it was suspected that 7 to 8 passengers were stuck inside the charred bus.

“However, at this stage it is not possible to tell the exact number of deaths in the tragedy,” she said.

The incident took place around 6.30 a.m. in the outskirts of Kamalapur Taluk in Kalaburagi District on the Bidar-Srirangapatna highway.

Many were in deep sleep when the incident happened.

Police sources said that the bus had caught fire after colliding with a lorry. The bus then collided with the bridge and also veered off the road due to the impact of the accident. More than 35 passengers were travelling in the bus at the time of the accident.

The private bus belonged to the Orange company in 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.

Inputs from IANS