Bengaluru: KSRTC bus catches fire; woman burnt alive, many injured

February 21, 2017

Bengaluru, Feb 21: A 52-year-old woman was killed and few others injured when a state transport bus caught fire near Nelamangala on the city outskirts early today, police said.

One among those injured is critical, while others have sustained minor injuries and are being treated at the hospital, they said.

The incident occurred when the bus was proceeding from Chikkamagaluru to the city with about 27 passengers.

People claiming to be eyewitnesses said they noticed the fire when the bus was moving and informed the driver.

The driver then pulled over and started evacuating the passengers, by then the vehicle was engulfed in flames.

Fire engines were called in to douse the fire, and a case has been registered.

Senior Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation officials said exact cause of fire is yet to be ascertained, and forensic report will make things clear.

Managing Director of KSRTC, Rajendra Kumar Kataria said a thorough investigation will be conducted to ascertain the cause for the accident and those responsible will have to face action.

He also said the kin of the dead will be compensated with Rs 3 lakh immediately and medical expenses of those injured will be taken care of.

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Elusive bamboo shrimp resurfaces in Mangaluru estuary after 70 years

News Network

December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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