In one of Andhra Pradesh’s most horrific road accidents in recent memory, a private sleeper bus traveling from Hyderabad to Bengaluru tragically erupted into flames in Chinna Tekuru village, Kurnool district, on Friday morning (October 24, 2025). The devastating inferno claimed at least 19 lives and left several others injured, four critically.
Details of the Kurnool bus fire accident are being continuously updated as the investigation unfolds.
Authorities confirmed that the ghastly incident took place around 3 a.m. when the bus collided head-on with a motorbike on the highway. The motorcyclist, 23-year-old Siva Kumar from Kurnool, was tragically killed on impact, thrown from his vehicle. His bike became lodged under the bus, dragging for approximately 300 meters. Investigators believe that petrol leaking from the motorcycle’s tank, and potentially the bus’s fuel tank, coupled with sparks generated by the friction on the road, quickly ignited a fierce blaze that engulfed the bus.
As the flames rapidly spread, terrified passengers screamed for help. Their horror escalated when the main hydraulic door jammed, preventing escape. Many desperately broke windows and used the emergency exit, but tragically, nearly half of the passengers remained trapped inside and perished in the blaze.
Earlier reports indicated over 25 fatalities in the luxury bus fire in Andhra Pradesh, highlighting the severe nature of the incident.
The bus was carrying 43 individuals, including 41 passengers and two children. Police confirmed that 23 people, including both drivers, managed to escape the burning vehicle. However, 19 charred bodies were recovered. Forensic teams are still searching for one missing passenger, feared to have been completely consumed by the intense fire. Injured survivors were transported to Kurnool’s Government General Hospital. Seven passengers received outpatient treatment, four are currently hospitalized, and others sustained minor injuries.
Deputy Inspector General of Kurnool, Koya Praveen, who visited the accident site, stated that the driver at the wheel during the collision fled immediately. The standby driver has been detained for questioning. Praveen noted, ‘We are investigating whether the bus was speeding and if reckless driving by either the bus driver or the motorcyclist contributed to the collision.’
The Director-General of State Disaster Response and Fire Services commented that the Kurnool bus tragedy was likely a result of overspeeding and negligence.
Preliminary investigations, according to the DIG, suggest that the friction from the motorbike trapped beneath the bus generated sparks, igniting the leaking petrol and subsequently the bus’s diesel tank. The blaze was so intense that parts of the metal frame melted. Police also suspect that substandard and highly combustible materials used in the bus’s construction exacerbated the fire’s destructive impact.
A woman traveling from Puttaparthi to Hyderabad on the same route recounted seeing the bus engulfed in flames from afar. She promptly alerted Kurnool SP Vikrant Patil, who rapidly deployed police and fire services. Despite heavy rain and the swift arrival of rescue teams and ambulances, the ferocity of the fire, fueled by exploding fuel tanks, rendered any rescue of trapped passengers impossible.
In response to the tragedy, Gadwal Government Hospital dispatched a medical team and placed its facilities on standby for emergency admissions.
As dawn broke, the accident site was a scene of utter devastation: charred remains of bodies lay trapped within the skeletal bus, surrounded by twisted and ash-covered metal. As news of the catastrophe spread, distressed family members and relatives from Hyderabad and Bengaluru rushed to the area. Kurnool Collector Dr. A. Siri announced the establishment of a control room to assist victims’ families. Forensic experts began collecting DNA samples for identification, and police stated that postmortems would be conducted on-site before the bodies are released to relatives.
Senior officials, including Collectors and Superintendents of Police from Kurnool and Gadwal districts (Telangana), promptly arrived at the scene.
Transport Minister Mandipali Ramprasad Reddy swiftly visited the site, expressing profound grief and ordering a high-level investigation. The Minister stated, ‘A thorough investigation has been launched to determine if the bus company, Kaveri Travels, adhered to safety regulations and if flammable materials were used in the vehicle’s construction.’ Kurnool police have registered a case and are actively searching for the driver who fled the scene.
Prime Minister Modi offered his condolences for the deaths in the Andhra bus fire and announced ex-gratia payments to the victims’ families.