In a horrific accident, a private bus ferrying passengers from Hyderabad to Bengaluru caught fire after colliding with a bike in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh in the wee hours of Friday. As soon as the fire spread, 12 alert passengers broke the windows of the bus and jumped down.
According to DIG Koya Praveen, there were a total of 41 people in the bus. Out of them, 39 were adults and two were small children. He said police officials have recovered 11 bodies so far and are working diligently to identify the victims, as the investigation continues. He said authorities have identified 19 survivors, many of whom are currently receiving treatment in hospitals.
A private bus of Kaveri Travels (number DD09 N9490) going from Hyderabad to Bengaluru hit a bike near Chinnatekur after midnight and caught fire. Within moments, the fire spread throughout the bus, trapping many passengers and burning them alive. Reports confirm that the tragic incident claimed the lives of many people. The accident took place at around 3.30 am.
The bus, which had left Hyderabad at 10.30 pm and was on its way to Bengaluru, collided with an oncoming bike at Chinnatekur. Immediately after the collision, the front of the bus caught fire. Within a short time, the fire spread from the engine to the entire bus. The fire spread even faster when the fuel tank exploded.
At that time, many passengers were fast asleep, so there was no chance of escape. It seems that most of the passengers were residents of Hyderabad. Dig Koya Praveen stated that authorities have not yet located the main driver of the bus involved in the accident. The police have taken another driver into custody in connection with the accident. Authorities have identified the bus drivers as Shivanarayana and Lakshmaiah.
The police and the transport department are jointly investigating to determine the exact cause of the accident. Heavy rain was falling in the area at the time of the accident. Although the fire broke out, the fire control faced some challenges due to the rain. Although the fire brigade responded quickly, the flames had already consumed the entire bus. The accident caused a massive traffic jam on the national highway, as authorities stopped other vehicles on the road.
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu expressed deep shock over this horrific accident that took place in Kurnool district. Officials informed the CM, who was on a visit to Dubai, about the details of the incident. He immediately spoke to the CS and higher officials and reviewed the situation. He ordered immediate treatment to the injured and all possible cooperation to the families of the deceased.
Similarly, the CM ordered the high-level machinery to go to the scene and participate in the rescue operations.It is worth remembering that a travel bus fire in the Joint Mahabubnagar district of Telangana previously claimed many lives. It happened in 2103 and 45 people died in this incident. This accident filled me with deep sorrow. The accident took place when this bus was also coming from Bangalore to Hyderabad.
