A fierce blaze on board a bus triggered by an exploding fuel tank killed at least 44 passengers in southern India early Wednesday, police said. The fire broke out after the bus crashed into a central reservation on a highway between the cities of Bangalore and Hyderabad around 5:00 am, said local police spokesman Venkateshwarlu. \"The number of dead, which includes children, is 44,\" Venkateshwarlu, who uses only one name, told AFP.