20 killed as bus bursts into flames after bike collision

Twenty people were killed and several injured when a sleeper bus heading from Hyderabad to Bengaluru went up in flames after hitting a motorcycle on the outskirts of Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh early on Friday, said police.

- Srinivasa Rao Apparasu

Most of the bus's 41 passengers were asleep when it slammed into the motorcycle around 3.30am, running the rider over on National Highway-44 near Chinna Tekuru village, said police officers. The two-wheeler, they added, got trapped under the bus and began leaking fuel, sparking the fire that engulfed the bus in seconds.

Both drivers of the bus survived. One fled and the other was taken in for questioning, said police.

The passengers were trapped after the fire destroyed the electronics used to open the front door. A few passengers who were awoken by the initial impact of the accident smashed open the windows and rear door and jumped to safety.

"Twenty-two people managed to escape with minor injuries, but 19 were trapped inside and could not make it out in time," said Koya Praveen, deputy inspector general of police (Kurnool).

The 20th fatality was the motorcyclist, said officers.

Kurnool police filed a case under Section 125A (acts that carelessly endanger human life or personal safety) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Of the 20 dead, seven were women and 13 men. Thirteen of them were from Andhra Pradesh and the others from Telangana.

"According to the statement by the bus driver Miriyala Lakshmaiah, the bike was lying on the road. It is unclear if this was because the bike was involved in a prior accident," said Kurnool SP Vikrant Patel.

The accident triggered memories of a similar accident in 2013, when a bus headed from Bengaluru to Hyderabad went up in flames in Mahabubnagar, killing 48.