The fuel leakage caused by the accident resulted in a huge fire that surrounded the bus in a matter of minutes.
At least 20 passengers died and some others were injured early on Friday morning after a private sleeper bus en route to Bengaluru caught fire after crashing into a motorcycle at Chinnatekur village in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool district.
The ghastly accident took place between 3 a.m. on the Bengaluru–Hyderabad National Highway, when the speeding bus allegedly collided with a motorcycle, which got stuck under the vehicle. The fuel leakage caused by the accident resulted in a huge fire that surrounded the bus in a matter of minutes.
The bus had approximately 40–44 passengers, most of whom were sleeping when the crash occurred, according to police and witnesses. Survivors explained that the fire engulfed quickly, offering little time to act. Some of the passengers were able to escape by breaking the windows, while others were stuck inside since the main door was wedged open because of the collision.
Firefighting tenders arrived quickly from Kurnool town and extinguished the fire after fighting it for almost an hour. By then, however, the majority of the victims were burnt beyond recognition.
Rescue Efforts
District Collector G. Srijana explained forensic and DNA teams have been stationed to assist in the identification of the victims. Injured passengers were shifted to Kurnool Government General Hospital, where they were receiving treatment. A helpline and control room have been established by officials to support the relatives of the passengers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was deeply saddened by the tragedy and declared an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh per family to the next of kin of those killed and ₹50,000 to the injured. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu called the incident “heart-wrenching” and directed a high-level investigation into what caused the fire.
“The state government will provide all support to the families of the victims,” Naidu said, further stating that the officials have been ordered to provide proper treatment to the injured.
Probe into cause of the fire
Preliminary investigation indicates the fire was initiated by the collision between the bus and the motorcycle, followed by fuel spillage from the tank of the vehicle. Officials also indicated potential over-speeding and driver fatigue as contributing factors.
It has caused alarm among experts at the use of non-fire-retardant interior and lack of proper emergency preparation in private long-distance buses, which do not have operational safety exits or fire extinguishers.
