20 Dead as Bus Catches Fire After Collision in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool; Several Bodies Burnt Beyond Recognition
Twenty passengers were killed in a gruesome bus fire that occurred near Chinnatekur village under Kallur mandal of Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool district on Friday morning. According to the police, 12 other passengers had managed to escape with minor injuries during the incident.
Aadrika Tayal 
New Delhi (India) October 24: 20 dead, After the collision of a private travel bus with two-wheeler in early hours of Friday around 5:30 am at Chinnatekur village in Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh Caught fire.
Preliminary reports indicate that there were about 40 passengers on the bus. Of these, 18 passengers have been identified alive. Police said several bodies were burnt beyond recognition, which made it difficult to identify them.
There was heavy rainfall in the area at the time of the accident, which resulted in the accident.
Leaders Express Grief
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “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” regarding the accident.
The PM also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF for the deceased and Rs 50,000 for those injured.
Sri Satyakumar Yadav, Minister of Health has expressed profound shock over the incident. He stated that DNA samples are being collected to ascertain the identity of victims.
He said, “The bodies are still inside the bus. We are prepared to conduct postmortems at the scene of the incident, depending on the circumstances. Forensic doctors have been dispatched to the site. Mahaprasthanam vehicles are ready to transport the bodies. We are also collecting DNA samples to identify the deceased. Twelve people have been admitted to the hospital with minor injuries. Six of them have been discharged after receiving primary treatment. One person sustained serious injuries after jumping from the bus, but his condition is stable.”
When it happened most of the passengers were sound asleep. Some passengers awoke to the outbreak of fire and were able to break through windows and jump out, but many others had no way out within minutes after flames spread across the entire bus.
Rescue and Relief Efforts
Local fire fighters at Kurnool used four fire engines to douse the flames but it was too late as the bus had been reduced to ashes.
Injured passengers were being rushed to the Kurnool Government General Hospital by rescue teams. Forensic teams have been sent to establish the identities of the burnt corpses and where required, DNA testing may be carried out.
Families Await News
The tragedy has left Kurnool and Hyderabad in a pall of gloom, with the relatives of the passengers praying desperately for confirmation about their loved ones.
