Kurnool (Andhra Pradesh): A private bus coming from Hyderabad to Bengaluru met with an accident near Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh, in which 12 passengers were burnt alive, a horrific incident took place on Friday morning. The bodies of many were completely burnt and the death toll is likely to rise. Out of the 40 passengers in the bus, only 23 managed to save their lives.
A Volvo bus (DD01 N 9490) belonging to Kaveri Travels collided with a bike in the early hours of the morning near Chinna Tekur village in Kurnool district. The bike went into the bus's belly due to the force of the collision and caught fire instantly. Kurnool SP Vikrant Patil said that the bike got stuck under the bus due to the force of the accident and the fire broke out due to a spark caused by the collision.
The accident occurred when all the passengers were fast asleep. Since it was an AC bus, the smoke was covering the passengers, causing panic. Initially, the driver and the assistant tried unsuccessfully to extinguish the small fire with water bottles. As the fire became fierce, they woke up and woke up the passengers.
As the fire spread, 23 passengers woke up and jumped out of the bus by breaking the window panes and saving their lives. However, 15 of them suffered burns and the condition of many is critical. More than 12 people who could not get out of the bus were burnt to death on the spot.
As soon as the news came to light, fire brigade, police and NDRF personnel rushed to the spot and carried out rescue operations. Rescue and firefighting operations continued till dawn and the exact number of casualties is yet to be ascertained. SP Vikrant Patil informed that the two bus drivers have been taken into custody and are being questioned.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu expressed deep grief over the incident and offered his condolences to the families of the deceased. He has directed the officials to provide immediate treatment and compensation to the injured.