At Least 25 Killed as Passenger Bus Bursts Into Flames After Collision in Southern India

At least 25 people were killed and several others injured early Friday when a passenger bus caught fire following a collision with a motorcycle in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, police said.

The accident occurred near Chinnatekuru village in Kurnool district, about 210 kilometers (130 miles) south of Hyderabad. According to police, the bus was traveling between Hyderabad in Telangana state and Bengaluru in Karnataka when a motorcycle rammed into it from behind, triggering a deadly blaze.

Senior police official Vikrant Patil said the impact caused the motorcycle to become lodged under the bus, sparking a fire that quickly spread to the vehicle’s fuel tank. Within minutes, flames engulfed the bus, trapping many of the 44 passengers inside.

“Some passengers managed to smash open the windows and jump out with minor injuries, but others were trapped inside as the fire spread rapidly,” Patil said. “The driver tried to douse the flames using a fire extinguisher, but the fire was too intense to control.”

Most of the victims are believed to have been asleep at the time of the accident. The bus was completely gutted by the time emergency services arrived, and the motorcycle rider was also killed in the blaze.

Rescue teams rushed to the scene, and local authorities have ordered a full investigation. A team of forensic experts has been deployed to determine the precise cause of the fire and to identify the victims.

Images from the site showed the charred remains of the bus standing by the roadside, with rescue workers and police inspecting the wreckage.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to the families of those who lost their lives. “Deeply saddened by the loss of lives due to the bus accident in Andhra Pradesh. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. I pray that the injured recover soon,” he said in a statement on social media.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu also offered his sympathies, calling the incident “tragic and deeply distressing.” He directed officials to provide all possible assistance to the victims and their families.

Friday’s tragedy marks the second deadly bus fire in India in less than two weeks. Earlier this month, a suspected electrical short circuit sparked a fire on a passenger bus in Rajasthan, killing at least 20 people.

India has one of the world’s highest rates of road fatalities, with accidents often caused by speeding, poor road conditions, and inadequate vehicle maintenance.