In yet another tragic incident, 20 people were killed after a private travel bus caught fire on Friday in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool district. The bus was carrying 41 passengers to Bengaluru from Hyderabad when the incident took place.
According to reports, the Bengaluru-bound private bus caught fire after it collided with a two-wheeler on National Highway 44 in Kurnool district. Sparks and friction from the trapped two-wheeler are suspected to have set off the flames.
Here’s what happened
According to initial findings, the bus hit a two-wheeler, which went under the vehicle and sparked a fire that rapidly engulfed the vehicle. Among the 20 feared dead was the biker.
Soon after the fire broke out, the bus door got jammed, preventing people from escaping. The vehicle was completely gutted within minutes.
Some 12-15 passengers managed to escape from the bus by breaking windows or emergency exits, many with burn injuries.
District collector A Siri told PTI that many passengers could not escape the tragedy as it occurred during the night when they were asleep.
Soon after the incident, firefighters and police reached the spot, extinguishing the flames and initiating the recovery operations. According to a report by CNN-News18, the bus crew, including the driver, fled the scene immediately after the accident. The injured, meanwhile, were rushed to Kurnool Government Hospital for treatment.
The blaze intensified quickly as synthetic materials inside the bus caught fire, and the doors were stuck shut. Survivors described how smoke overwhelmed the cabin in moments, leaving many unable to breathe or regain consciousness in time to escape.
Some of the bodies were charred beyond recognition, prompting officials to call forensic teams to collect DNA samples of the deceased.
President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and his Telangana counterpart A Revanth Reddy expressed anguish over the incident.
The Prime Minister also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs 50,000.
Authorities reported 16 challans against the bus, mostly for no entry, over-speeding, dangerous driving, and driving without a licence, CNN-News18 reported.
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