A normal bus ride turned out to be a nightmare on Friday morning when a private Kaveri Travels bus set on fire after crashing with a motorcycle in the vicinity of Chinnatekur village, Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh, India. The fire not only destroyed the vehicle but also made the truck’s sleeping passengers fall asleep.

The sleeper coach, which was carrying more than 40 passengers, caught fire within minutes of the collision. Survivors reported that the impact caused the main door to be stuck and thus the passengers could only escape by breaking the windows. “We had to break the glass to get out. The fire was very fast,” one of the survivors said.

🔥 How the Tragedy Unfolded

According to the preliminary investigation, it was the bus crash against the motorbike from the opposite direction that caused the two-wheeler to get stuck under the vehicle that was the main reason for the friction causing the fire, which rapidly consuming the air-conditioned bus.

DIG Koya Praveen confirmed that the bus’s fuel tank did not explode, but the combustibles inside made the fire worse. “The bus having no working fire safety system made the situation disastrous,” he uttered.

🚨 Casualties and Rescue Efforts

Kurnool District Collector Dr. A. Siri announced that they have accounted for 21 people — 11 identified and 9 unidentified so far. She stated most of the dead were caught inside because the door was stuck. “Only those who could crack the side windows lived,” she said.

Roughly 12 passengers got out through the broken windows, but many got really badly burned. Meanwhile, firemen and rescuers came to the area and were engaged in fire fighting, and also gathering the burnt bodies.

⚠️ Safety Violations Surface

The bus involved in the accident was a Scania (Reg. No. DD01N9490) belonging to Vemuri Kaveri Travels, and it had committed traffic violations. There were 16 pending challans in Telangana, with a total fine of ₹23,000 according to the records.

While the bus had the necessary fitness and insurance certificates, officials stated it was always violating traffic rules. The bus was acquired in May 2018 and first registered in Daman, then transferred to Diu, and re-registered in Rayagada, Odisha in April 2025.

🕯️ Grim Reminder of Recent Rajasthan Fire

This incident took place just a few days after a similar case in Rajasthan where a bus caught fire due to a short circuit in the air-conditioning unit and burned down before the villagers could help; 22 people died, three of them children, on October 14, when such a tragedy occurred in the small, yet quite unlucky village of Thaiyat.

The consecutive incidents have again triggered the issue of fire safety and the absence of regulations over the operators of long-distance private travel in India.

⚡ Government Response

Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu ordered an inquiry at the highest level into the occurrence and directed the officials to check adherence to safety regulations by all private bus companies.

Investigators want to know if fire extinguishers and emergency exits were operational and if operator negligence was a factor in the death. “People who are responsible will face strict action,” the CM’s office said.