Kurnool bus hearth: Police say petrol leak, friction sparks probably led to flames

In one of many deadliest street accidents in Andhra Pradesh in recent times, a non-public sleeper bus certain for Bengaluru from Hyderabad was a transferring fireball at Chinna Tekuru village in Kalluru mandal of Kurnool district on Friday morning (October 24, 2025), killing no less than 19 folks and leaving a number of others injured, 4 of them critically.

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The police confirmed that the ghastly street tragedy occurred at round 3 a.m., when the bus and a motorcycle out of the blue collided head on, on the freeway. The biker, recognized as Siva Kumar (23), a resident of Kurnool, was flung to the roadside and died with a head damage immediately. His two-wheeler was trapped beneath the bus, dragging alongside the asphalt for almost 300 metres. Police stated petrol leaking from the bike’s tank and probably from the bus’ gasoline tank, mixed with friction sparks from the street, ignited an inferno that quickly gutted the bus.

As the hearth unfold, panic-stricken passengers screamed for assist, and their horror intensified as the principle hydraulic door jammed and didn’t open. Many passengers had been pressured to interrupt home windows and exit via the emergency exit, whereas half of the passengers had been trapped and charred to loss of life.

The bus was carrying 43 individuals, together with 41 passengers with two youngsters. Police confirmed that 23 individuals, together with two drivers, managed to flee, whereas 19 charred our bodies had been retrieved from the gutted bus. Forensic groups continued their seek for one untraced passenger, whose physique is suspected to have was ashes within the inferno. The injured survivors had been rushed to the Government General Hospital in Kurnool. The police stated seven of the passengers had been handled as outpatients, whereas 4 had been below remedy, and the remaining obtained superficial accidents.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG-Kurnool), Koya Praveen, who inspected the accident spot, stated one of many drivers, who was on the wheel on the time of the accident, fled the spot instantly after the incident. The standby driver was detained for questioning. “We are investigating whether or not the bus was overspeeding and if the collision occurred owing to reckless driving by both the bus or the biker,” he stated.

The DIG stated preliminary investigations hinted that the friction brought on by the trapped motorcycle beneath the bus generated sparks, igniting the leaking petrol and finally the diesel tank of the bus. The depth of the hearth was such that even the steel body melted partially. He noticed that the Police suspect that the bus physique was made from substandard and flamable materials, accelerating the hearth influence.

A lady who was touring on the identical route in the direction of Hyderabad from Puttaparthi stated she seen the bus in flames from a distance. She stated she had instantly alerted Kurnool SP Vikrant Patil, who swiftly dispatched police and hearth tenders to the spot. Though it was raining closely at the moment and the rescue groups and ambulances reached inside minutes, the raging hearth resulting from exploded gasoline tanks made it unimaginable to rescue the trapped passengers.

By daybreak, the accident spot offered a scene of devastation with charred our bodies trapped contained in the gutted bus and twisted and ash-covered steel frames. Family members and family of the victims from Hyderabad and Bengaluru began speeding to the location because the information unfold in regards to the accident. Kurnool Collector Dr. A. Siri stated a management room was set as much as help the relations of the victims. Forensic specialists commenced gathering DNA samples from the stays for identification. The police stated the postmortem could be performed on the accident web site, earlier than handing over the our bodies to family.

The Collectors and SPs of Kurnool and Gadwal (Telangana state) districts, together with senior officers from each states, reached the spot.

Transport Minister Mandipali Ramprasad Reddy, who rushed to the spot, expressed grief over the accident, ordering a high-level probe into the incident. “A radical investigation has been initiated to examine whether or not the bus firm (Kaveri Travels) adopted security norms and whether or not flamable supplies had been utilized in its design,” the Minister stated. The Kurnool police registered a case and launched a seek for the elusive driver.