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Kurnool (Andhra Pradesh), October 24 (IANS) Eleven people were burnt to death when a private bus caught fire after colliding with a two-wheeler in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool early Friday morning. About 19 people jumped out of the burning bus to safety by breaking the window.
The bus of a private travel operator was going from Hyderabad to Bengaluru and there were 40 people on board.
Around 19 passengers came out of the vehicle after breaking the windows of the Volvo bus of Vemuri Kaveri Travels. Police said the accident occurred near Ulindakonda in Kurnool district at around 3.30 am.
Deputy Inspector General of Police Koya Praveen said a total of 21 passengers were rescued. Eleven of the dead have been identified.
The death toll may rise as the missing passengers are feared dead.
At least 11 passengers were shifted to a government hospital, while three others are being treated in private hospitals.
The bus started its journey from Hyderabad around 10.30 pm, and when it was near Kurnool on National Highway 44 (NH-44) at around 3:30 am, a two-wheeler collided with the bus. The motorcycle got stuck under the belly of the bus and it is suspected that this sparked the spark that caused the massive fire.
Survivors said the two-wheeler was dragged for about 300 meters before the bus stopped. Most of the passengers were sleeping at the time of the accident. One of the survivors said he woke up hearing screams of “fire” and broke the emergency window to jump to safety with some others.
Akash, one of the survivors, said that the bus burst into flames within minutes and since it was an AC bus with sealed windows, it was difficult to escape. Most of the passengers on the plane are from Hyderabad.
By the time a fire engine reached the spot, the bus was completely burnt to ashes. The police swung into action to take the injured to the hospital.
The dead include four members of the same family. The deceased were identified as Golla Ramesh (35), Anusha (30), Manivata (10) and Manisha (12).
–IANS
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