Bike crashed into bus' fuel tank, caught fire; 40 people were on board

The bus, traveling from Hyderabad to Bengaluru, collided with a motorcycle on NH-44 around 3:30 am. The motorcycle went under the bus and struck its fuel tank, causing an immediate fire. The rider, identified as Shivshankar, also died.

Around 40 passengers were on board. Nineteen managed to escape by jumping out, while others broke through the emergency exit but suffered severe burns. Survivors have been admitted to Kurnool Government Hospital.

Police said many victims were completely burnt, making identification difficult.

Fire sparked led to a short circuit and the door didn't open

On the other hand. Kurnool Range DIG Koya Praveen told PTI reportedly, 21 passengers, including two children, escaped the bus fire unhurt. The driver and cleaner are still unaccounted for.

Most of the passengers were between 25 and 35 years old. Authorities said many passengers were asleep when the accident occurred, which prevented them from escaping. A short circuit following the fire reportedly jammed the bus door, trapping several passengers inside.

Collector issues helpline numbers

Following the accident, Kurnool District Collector Dr. A. Siri arrived at the scene and stated that helpline numbers have been issued to assist the victims and their families.

These include the Collectorate Control Room 08518-277305, Government Hospital Kurnool 9121101059, Spot Control Room 9121101061, Kurnool Police Control Room 9121101075, and the GGH Help Desk 9494609814 and 9052951010. For information, call the numbers.

PM Modi also expressed grief over the accident. He wrote on Twitter,

He announced a compensation of ₹2 lakh for the families of the deceased and ₹50,000 for the injured from the PM Relief Fund. Karnataka Chief Minister Revanth Reddy also offered his condolence on Twitter. He wrote,