A tragic bus fire in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool district has left the nation in mourning. At least 20 people lost their lives, including a motorcyclist and two children, after a Bengaluru-bound private bus caught fire following a high-speed collision early Friday morning. The horrifying event has sparked questions about safety standards, driver negligence, and enforcement lapses on Indian highways.

According to police reports, the bus operated by Kaveri Travels was traveling from Hyderabad to Bengaluru when it collided with a motorcycle on National Highway 44, near Chinnatekur village, around 3 am. The motorcycle was dragged underneath the bus for nearly 200 meters, causing sparks that ignited the bus’s fuel and quickly spread flames across the sleeper coach. Within minutes, the air-conditioned bus turned into a fireball, trapping most passengers inside.​

Survivors recounted that the doors of the bus jammed due to short-circuited wires, leaving only those able to break windows a chance to escape. Nine people survived with injuries, some of them sustaining burns and glass wounds.

Authorities have registered a case against two bus drivers for negligent and over-speed driving under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Sections 125(a) and 106(1), which deal with endangering human life and causing death by negligence. The complaint was filed by a survivor named N. Ramesh, who escaped with his family by breaking the rear glass window. Police also revealed that the bus had dragged the two-wheeler for a significant distance before bursting into flames.​

Further investigation exposed another worrying detail: though the bus had valid insurance and tax documents, it had been illegally converted into a sleeper coach without following proper safety rules—a violation that may have worsened the fire’s impact.​

Most victims were charred beyond recognition, and DNA testing is being used to identify them. Both the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana governments announced ex-gratia payments to the families of the deceased and injured. President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and leaders including N. Chandrababu Naidu and Rahul Gandhi expressed deep sorrow over the incident.​

Local residents and survivors have voiced anger and frustration at the recurring tragedies on this stretch of the NH-44, which has reportedly been classified as a “black spot” by the National Highways Authority of India due to frequent accidents. Poor lighting, patchy road work, and unmonitored speeding have turned it into a dangerous stretch for late-night travelers.​

This incident once again raises concern about lax safety regulations in India’s private transport sector. Many long-distance passenger buses, especially private ones, often operate beyond capacity, flouting mechanical and safety norms. According to road safety activists, stronger vehicle inspections, real-time GPS-based speed tracking, and stricter penalties for illegal modifications are urgently needed to prevent such tragedies.​

Citizens have taken to social media demanding that the government perform surprise checks on private travel buses and blacklist operators with repeated safety violations. The Kurnool tragedy is not just an accident—it is a painful reminder of how one act of negligence can end dozens of lives in minutes.

The haunting question now remains: will authorities ensure stricter enforcement and safer roads, or will these dark spots on India’s highways continue to take lives before lessons are truly learned?

With inputs from agencies

Image Source: Multiple agencies

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