VIJAYAWADA: At least 20 people were killed after a private Kaveri Travels bus caught fire following a collision with a bike at Chinna Tekuru village in Kurnool district early Friday.
The bus, travelling from Hyderabad to Bengaluru with over 40 passengers on board, went up in flames moments after the impact.
Dr Siri said that so far, they have traced 21 people. Of the remaining 20, 11 bodies have been identified, while 9 are yet to be identified. She observed that the bus door got jammed and did not open after the fire broke out.
DIG Koya Praveen said that while the impact with the bike ignited the fire, the combustible materials inside the bus contributed to many deaths. He added that the bus’s fuel tank remained intact and noted that the vehicle lacked adequate safety measures to prevent or mitigate such fire incidents.
Read also:
How a bike collision, jammed door turned ride into deadly blaze on Bengaluru–Hyderabad highway; passengers broke windows to escapeWithin minutes, the blaze engulfed the entire vehicle, trapping several passengers inside.
Twelve people managed to escape through windows, many with burn injuries, while others were charred to death as the fire spread rapidly.
Rescue and firefighting operations continued through the morning, and officials said the exact toll would be confirmed after cooling efforts were complete.
Chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed condolences to the victims’ families and directed officials to provide immediate relief and medical assistance to the injured.
The Kurnool tragedy comes just days after a similar bus fire in Rajasthan, where 22 people, including three children, were killed when a Jaisalmer–Jodhpur bus caught fire near Thaiyat village on October 14.
Investigations into the Rajasthan incident revealed that a short circuit in the air-conditioning system triggered the blaze. Forensic teams from the FSL, transport department, and Central Institute of Road Transport (CIRT) later confirmed the wiring fault as the cause.
Srikanth Aluri is the assistant editor at Times of India, Vijayaw...
Read MoreSrikanth Aluri is the assistant editor at Times of India, Vijayawada. He covers Chief Minister’s office, Telugu Desam Party, diaspora and the high court. In his 15 years of career as on ground journalist, Srikanth worked in Hyderabad, New Delhi and Vijayawada. He wrote extensively on AP politics, civic and legal issues.
Read Less