Bus Catches Fire After Hitting Bike in Andhra; 20 Feared Dead

At least 20 people are feared dead after a private Kaveri Travels bus caught fire following a collision with a motorcycle in Chinna Tekuru village of Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool district early Friday morning.

According to reports, the Hyderabad-bound Volvo bus, carrying around 40 passengers, was en route to Bengaluru when the accident occurred around 3 am. Police said the two-wheeler got stuck under the bus after the crash, igniting a massive fire that spread rapidly throughout the vehicle. Within moments, the flames engulfed the entire bus, trapping many passengers inside.

“The Volvo bus hit a bike that got stuck under it, which likely caused the fire. Since it was an AC bus, passengers had difficulty getting out. Those who managed to break open the windows survived,” Superintendent of Police Vikrant Patil told NDTV.

Out of the 40 passengers, around 15 managed to escape with injuries, while several others were charred to death. The injured have been shifted to nearby hospitals for treatment.

Rescue and firefighting operations continued for several hours, and officials said the exact death toll will be confirmed after the cooling process is completed. SP Patil confirmed that the blaze has been brought under control. The bus reportedly had two drivers on duty during the journey.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu expressed deep condolences to the bereaved families and instructed district officials to provide immediate relief and medical care to the injured.

This incident comes just days after a similar tragedy in Rajasthan, where 22 people, including three children, lost their lives when a Jaisalmer–Jodhpur bus caught fire on October 14. Preliminary investigations in that case pointed to a short circuit in the air-conditioning system as the cause of the blaze.

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