KURNOOL: At least 32 people were feared dead after a private Kaveri Travels bus caught fire following a collision with a motorcycle at Chinna Tekuru village in Kurnool district early Friday. Officials have so far recovered 11 bodies from the charred remains of the vehicle.
Bus engulfed in flames within minutes
The ill-fated bus was travelling from Hyderabad to Bengaluru with over 40 passengers on board when it collided with a two-wheeler around 1.30 a.m. Eyewitnesses said that moments after the impact, the fuel tank of the bus caught fire, triggering a massive blaze that engulfed the entire vehicle within minutes.
Twelve passengers managed to escape by breaking the windows, many sustaining severe burns, while several others were trapped inside as the fire spread rapidly. Rescue teams faced difficulty reaching the victims due to the intensity of the flames.
Rescue operations underway
Firefighting and rescue operations continued through the early hours of Friday. Local police, disaster management teams, and the fire department rushed to the site and battled the blaze for hours before bringing it under control. Officials said the exact death toll would be confirmed after cooling operations and further search efforts.
District Collector G Srujana and senior police officials were at the scene overseeing the rescue and recovery work. The injured were shifted to Kurnool Government General Hospital, where several are reported to be in critical condition.
Chief Minister orders relief measures
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu expressed his grief over the tragedy and directed officials to provide immediate medical assistance to the injured. “It is an extremely painful incident. My deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones,” he said on X. The Chief Minister has also ordered a high-level probe into the accident and the cause of the fire.
Second major bus fire in a week
The Kurnool accident comes just days after a similar tragedy 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 had triggered the blaze. Forensic teams from the FSL, Transport Department, and Central Institute of Road Transport (CIRT) later confirmed that faulty wiring was the cause of the fire.
Probe underway into Kurnool blaze
Police said the cause of the Kurnool fire is yet to be determined. Forensic and transport department teams have been dispatched to inspect the remains of the vehicle. Preliminary reports suggest that sparks from the collision might have ignited the diesel tank, leading to the explosion.
Authorities are also verifying the passenger list and coordinating with the bus operator to identify the deceased. The district administration has set up a helpline for relatives of passengers to obtain information.
The horrifying incident has once again raised concerns over passenger safety, vehicle maintenance, and adherence to transport safety regulations in private long-distance buses across the country.