20 Killed as Bengaluru-Bound Private Bus Catches Fire in Andhra's Kurnool

PTI, Kurnool (Andhra Pradesh), Oct 24, 2025 :  A Bengaluru-bound private bus caught fire in Kurnool district on Friday after colliding with a two-wheeler. The blaze was triggered when the motorbike, with its fuel cap open, was dragged underneath the bus, leading to the tragic deaths of 20 people.

Most of the victims were charred beyond recognition, police said. Among the deceased were two children and the biker. Nine others sustained injuries in the incident.

Condolences poured in from across the country, with President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, and Chief Ministers N Chandrababu Naidu (Andhra Pradesh) and A Revanth Reddy (Telangana) expressing their grief over the early morning tragedy. The Centre, along with the governments of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, announced ex-gratia for the victims’ families.

Survivors recounted the harrowing moments before their miraculous escape, although some were not so lucky and perished in their sleep. Passengers were forced to break the bus's window glass to escape the flames.

The ill-fated bus was carrying 44 passengers at the time of the accident.

"According to one of the bus drivers, the bike was lying on the road, possibly due to a separate accident or a self-fall," Kurnool SP Vikrant Patel said. Investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the accident.

Several passengers were fast asleep when the fire broke out around 3 AM, and many died without realizing what was happening. The blaze completely gutted the sleeper bus, reducing it to a metal skeleton. Among the passengers was a techie who was on his way to Bengaluru for an interview at a top IT firm.

Some of the bodies were so badly burned that forensic teams have been called in to collect DNA samples for identification.

"So far, 19 bodies have been retrieved from the charred bus. The biker’s body is in the mortuary," said Kurnool Range DIG Koya Praveen.

The bus door got jammed due to a short circuit, and the vehicle was completely consumed by fire within minutes. Most survivors were between the ages of 25 and 35, police added.

Officials stated that some materials used in the bus, such as beds and curtains, were highly flammable, which likely contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.

Home Minister V Anitha announced that the state government has constituted a committee comprising officials from the transport, roads, and revenue departments to investigate the fatal fire. She further stated that 16 teams have been set up to probe the incident.

The bus had an All India permit and a valid fitness certificate, and investigators are looking into how the accident occurred.

State Transport Minister M Ramprasad Reddy, addressing a press conference, said that passengers from various states were onboard, with six of them hailing from Andhra Pradesh.

As per CM Naidu’s instructions, the government will provide an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the families of the deceased and Rs 2 lakh to those injured. Karnataka and Telangana have also agreed to offer similar compensation. Three individuals from Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and Bihar will also be taken care of.

Nine people are currently undergoing treatment, six of whom have fractures and are admitted to Kurnool Government General Hospital (GGH), while three are in a private facility, Anitha said.

District Collector A Siri confirmed that the survivors are stable and out of danger. She added that the fire occurred during the night while passengers were asleep, and that the bus door did not open immediately due to some snapped wires, which worsened the tragedy.

Most of the passengers were from Hyderabad, Siri said.

President Murmu expressed her condolences on social media: "The loss of lives in a tragic bus fire accident in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh is deeply unfortunate. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family members and pray for the speedy recovery of those injured."

PM Modi also expressed grief, stating: "Extremely saddened by the loss of lives due to a mishap in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh. 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."

Chandrababu Naidu, Telangana CM Revanth Reddy, AP Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, and his deputy DK Shivakumar also sympathized with the families of the deceased.

The Telangana government has set up a helpline to assist the kin of the passengers.

Meanwhile, it was revealed that the ill-fated bus had several traffic violation challans imposed by the Telangana police for issues such as dangerous driving and unauthorized parking.