At least 25 people were killed and several others injured when a passenger bus caught fire after colliding with a motorcycle in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool district early Friday.
The tragedy unfolded near Chinnatekuru village, about 210 kilometers south of Hyderabad, as the bus was traveling from Hyderabad to Bengaluru with 44 passengers on board. According to senior police official Vikrant Patil, the motorcycle rammed into the rear of the speeding bus and became lodged underneath. Dragged for some distance, the bike’s impact caused sparks that ignited the bus’s fuel tank, triggering a massive blaze.
The fire spread within minutes, trapping dozens of passengers inside. Many were asleep at the time and had little chance to escape. Some managed to smash windows and leap to safety with minor injuries, but at least 25 passengers were burned to death, along with the motorcyclist. The bus was completely gutted before emergency services could bring the flames under control.
Patil said the driver attempted to extinguish the fire with an onboard extinguisher but was overwhelmed by the intensity of the blaze. A forensic team has been deployed to investigate the exact cause of the fire and examine whether safety lapses contributed to the scale of the disaster.
The accident has drawn national attention. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu expressed condolences to the victims’ families, calling the incident a devastating loss.
This marks the second fatal bus fire in India in less than two weeks. Earlier this month, a suspected short circuit caused a passenger bus in Rajasthan to erupt in flames, killing at least 20 people.
The Kurnool tragedy has once again raised concerns over road safety, vehicle maintenance, and emergency preparedness on India’s highways. Experts warn that overcrowded buses, poor enforcement of safety standards, and inadequate fire suppression systems continue to put passengers at risk.
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