Bengaluru: A trip to the wedding of a friend’s brother in Kolar turned tragic for four friends, who were riding a bike. Theey were crtically injured after they crashed head-on into a private bus carrying over 35 passengers on the busy KR Puram Road on Tuesday.

The injured have been identified as Mallikarjun (24) from Kolar, Harish (23), an employee of an apparel shop and a resident of Devesandra, Harish (24), a diploma student. Kalyan, a 20-year-old B.Pharma student and a resident of Kithaganur village, has received 30 percent burns.

The private bus, coming from Chintamani to the city, caught fire after the two-wheeler went under the bus and its petrol tank burst. The bus was gutted completely. Two fire tenders rushed to the spot and put off the fire. The driver, sensing danger, fled the spot. The passengers had a miraculous escape as the bus caught fire after the incident.

One of the locals informed fire and emergency department and other victims were rushed to the hospital.The local residents also rushed to the help of bus passengers, pulled them out before the bus burst into flames.

While two of the injured were shifted to Nimhans, the other two were treated at the local hospital. Of the four, one is said to be critical.

K.R. Puram MLA Byrathi Basavaraj and DCP (Traffic, East) M.N. Babu Rajendra Prasad visited the spot. Traffic was thrown out of gear on the busy road for over two hours.