India, Dec. 25 -- At least 17 people are feared killed in a road accident on National Highway 48 at Gorlathu Cross in Hiriyur taluk of Chitradurga district, after a private sleeper coach bus caught fire following a collision with a lorry, the police said on Thursday.

The crash occurred when a lorry travelling from Hiriyur toward Bengaluru crossed the central divider and rammed into a bus coming from the opposite direction, which was heading from Bengaluru to Shivamogga. The impact caused the sleeper coach to catch fire in the middle of the highway, trapping several passengers inside.

Police said the official figure of casualties will be available after an audit. Several who managed to escape suffered serious injuries and were rushed to ...