It was one of those nights that started like all others for the passengers on board the V Kaveri Travels bus traveling from Hyderabad to Bengaluru, the Kurnool bus ride
— a long ride under the silent sky, with the majority of passengers sound asleep, dreaming of arriving at their destinations in the morning. But early on Friday morning, that travel turned into a horror on National Highway 44 in Andhra Pradesh, near Kurnool, as the luxury bus caught fire, killing at least nineteen people in one of the most terrifying road accidents in recent times.
The crash, which took place at about 1:30 am, seemed to be a typical highway accident. Initial accounts indicated that the bus had crashed against a two-wheeler, but subsequent investigations told a scarier tale. The bus had gone over a bike that had already had an accident and was on the road. When the heavy vehicle went over the bike, there was an explosion — a horrific chain reaction that trapped the passengers within with hardly enough time to escape.
In life-threatening seconds, flames engulfed the undercarriage of the bus and the entire bus life within a matter of seconds. The majority of the passengers, who were asleep, were oblivious as hot smoke and flames filled the buses. Eyewitnesses said they heard people screaming for assistance and loud popping sounds as the fire intensified. Locals moved towards the site, but the blaze was so intense that rescue attempts were all but futile.
It subsequently turned out that the bus was not only ferrying passengers — it also contained a shipment of 234 brand-new mobile phones valued at more than ₹46 lakh in its cargo bay. Forensic experts now suspect these phones could have exacerbated the fire.
“The mobile phones kept in the luggage cabin may have ignited and exploded, intensifying the fire,” stated Andhra Pradesh Fire Services DG P. Venkataramana. He said that witnesses also heard crackling and popping noises coming from the fire, indicating that the lithium batteries within the phones might have exploded as a result of the intense heat.
It was also augmented by the electric batteries mounted on the air-conditioning system of the bus. Once they got overheated, they also burst into flames, reducing the bus to a furnace in seconds. Furthering the tragedy, the petrol that spilled from the two-wheeler probably caught fire in an instant, combining to form a lethal cocktail of fuel, heat, and sparks.
But Kurnool Range Deputy Inspector General of Police Koya Praveen gave a slightly different account. He explained that the fire began close to the main exit door of the bus, where two 12 KV batteries were stored.
“The fuel tank of the bike exploded, and the fire broke out exactly at the main exit door. The bus batteries behind the door exploded, and it became impossible for people to exit,” he informed journalists. He added that the interior of the bus was made up of highly combustible materials including metallic paint and man-made furnishings, which could have enhanced the fire.
When firefighters arrived at the scene, the bus was already a smoldering hulk. Survivors who escaped recounted the frightening scene – fire bursting from under the seats, and passengers desperately attempting to shatter windows to escape. Most were unable to.
The victims’ families have been left in tatters, their lives completely changed by a trip that would have taken only a few more hours. The charred bus now remains a haunting symbol of how one moment of tragedy can end so many lives.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has also expressed profound sorrow over the loss of human life , promised all cooperation to the victims’ families. For the moment, the highway where the accident happened stands mute testament to a tragedy that evolved in the dark – a reminder of the fragility of life and of the importance of safety in every journey.
