On December 25 early morning, a container truck carrying beverages from Maharashtra collided with a sleeper bus near Javanagondanahalli in Hiriyur taluk, Chitradurga district, Karnataka. The truck jumped over the divider and hit the oncoming bus, which was heading from Bengaluru to Gokarna. The crash triggered a fire. Six people died in the accident, including five passengers and the truck driver. Among the deceased are Bindu V, her five-year-old daughter Grema, Manasa, Navya, and Rashmi Mahale, all travelling to Gokarna. The truck driver, a native of Uttar Pradesh, also died. There were 33 people on the bus, including the driver and his assistant. Most passengers woke up to find the bus engulfed in flames. Many managed to jump from the vehicle to safety. A witness named Sachin, driving a bus with schoolchildren nearby, said the truck hit the sleeper bus seconds after it overtook his vehicle. He quickly drove his bus down a slope to avoid collision and joined locals in rescuing trapped passengers. Fire tenders from Sira, Hiriyur, and Chitradurga battled the blaze, facing delays due to heavy traffic on the busy highway. Police and emergency teams arrived promptly. Twenty-eight injured passengers were taken to hospitals in Sira and Hiriyur, with three admitted to Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru. Manjunath (24) remains in critical condition with 30% burns and smoke inhalation. Two others, Devika (22) and Keerthan (22), have minor burns and are stable. The accident happened during the busy year-end holiday travel period on the highway connecting Karnataka to Pune. Authorities continue investigations and relief efforts.