Kurnool bus fire accident: Atleast 20 dead in Kurnool highway tragedy
Tragedy struck Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool district early Friday morning after a private bus caught fire near Chinnatekur village in Kallur mandal, killing at least 20 passengers aboard.
The bus was operated by a private firm called Kaveri Travels and was going from Hyderabad to Bengaluru when the incident happened.
The bus went up in flames at around 3 am after it hit a motorcycle on the highway near the Kurnool district. According to police, “the two-wheeler got trapped under the bus and hit the fuel tank, leading to an immediate explosion and rapid spread of flames throughout the vehicle.”
Several passengers in the bus were sleeping when the accident happened. The immediate explosion gave little to no time for people to escape the bus after it caught fire. However, some 21 passengers survived the tragedy, including the two drivers of the bus.
According to Kurnool District Collector A Siri, out of the 41 passengers, 21 were rescued safely. “Among the remaining 20, the bodies of 11 have been identified so far. Efforts are underway to identify the rest,” he said, reported news agency PTI.
PM Modi condoles deaths, announces compensation
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he was extremely saddened by the incident and announced a compensation of ₹2 lakh for the families of those who died in the fire and ₹50,000 for the injured.
“Extremely saddened by the loss of lives due to a mishap in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh. My thoughts are with the affected people and their families during this difficult time. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured. An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000: PM,” read a post by the office of the Prime Minister.
President Droupadi Murmu also expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy, saying, “The loss of lives in the tragic bus fire accident in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, is deeply unfortunate. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and pray for the speedy recovery of those injured.”