Andhra Pradesh Bus Inferno: Bike Collision and Jammed Door Turn Late-Night Ride into Deadly Blaze

Andhra Pradesh bus tragedy: How a bike collision and jammed door turned ride into deadly blaze on Bengaluru-Hyderabad highway; passengers broke windows to escape.

Veritas Times | News Desk Report 

A horrifying road accident turned into a mass‐fatality blaze on the Bengaluru–Hyderabad highway in Andhra Pradesh. A private bus operated by Kaveri Travels collided with a bike near Chinna Tekuru village in Kurnool district on Friday, shortly after which the bus caught fire and at least 20 passengers lost their lives. 

Preliminary investigations suggest that the bike went under the bus at the time of collision and ignited the blaze; the bus door got jammed and many passengers could not escape. Some survivors managed to break windows to flee the inferno.

Officials said the bus, registered as a Scania vehicle and bought in 2018, had a history of traffic violations despite valid fitness and insurance certificates. It had accumulated 16 challans in Telangana alone, amounting to unpaid fines of ₹23,000. 

The tragic episode came just days after another bus fire in Rajasthan in which 22 people, including three children, were killed. Investigators say both incidents highlight the urgency of improved passenger safety standards, proper maintenance, and effective enforcement of regulations. 

As the state government orders a probe, questions are being raised whether lax oversight, compromised maintenance or passengers’ inability to evacuate fast enough made this accident deadly. The jammed exit door and the rapid spread of fire inside the bus emphasise the importance of emergency exits, flame‐retardant interiors, and regular safety drills.

Authorities are working to identify all victims and trace the exact cause of the fire. In the meantime, the families of victims demand accountability and stricter enforcement of road and passenger‐bus safety norms.