Hyderabad, India — A devastating highway accident in southern India turned deadly early Friday when a passenger bus burst into flames after colliding with a motorcycle, killing at least 25 people and leaving several others injured.
The horrific crash occurred near Chinnatekuru village in Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh, as the overnight bus was travelling between Hyderabad and Bengaluru. According to senior police official Vikrant Patil, the motorcycle rammed into the rear of the speeding bus and became lodged underneath, creating sparks that ignited the vehicle’s fuel tank.
“The fire spread within minutes, trapping dozens of sleeping passengers inside,” Patil said. “Some managed to smash windows and jump to safety, but many were engulfed by the flames before help could arrive.”
Witnesses described a scene of chaos as the inferno consumed the bus. Rescue workers and volunteers rushed to the site, but by the time emergency crews arrived, the bus was already completely gutted. The motorcyclist also died in the blaze.
The bus, which had 44 passengers on board, was reduced to a blackened shell. Survivors recounted terrifying moments as they tried to escape through shattered windows. One passenger, identified only as Surya, told local media he broke both legs after leaping more than 15 feet to the ground to escape the flames. Doctors said he is expected to recover.
Police said most victims were burned beyond recognition, and forensic teams have been deployed to identify the remains.
The tragedy has drawn national mourning, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu expressing condolences to the victims’ families. “Deeply pained by the loss of lives in the bus fire,” Modi posted on social media, adding that authorities were “providing all possible assistance.”
The disaster has chilling echoes of a similar bus fire 12 years ago on the same highway, which killed at least 45 people when a vehicle caught fire after hitting a culvert.
This latest tragedy marks the second deadly bus fire in India in less than two weeks — earlier this month, a suspected electrical short circuit caused a passenger bus in Rajasthan to go up in flames, killing at least 20 people.
Forensic experts are investigating Friday’s fire to determine whether safety lapses or mechanical faults played a role. Authorities said DNA testing may be required to confirm the identities of several victims.
As dawn broke over the charred wreckage near Kurnool, rescue workers covered the remains of the dead while relatives gathered in anguish at nearby hospitals — a grim reminder of India’s persistent road safety crisis and the heavy toll of preventable accidents on its highways