At least 20 killed as bus catches fire in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool; PM Modi announces ex-gratia

October 24, 2025

Kurnool (Andhra Pradesh), Oct 24: At least 20 people were killed and several others injured after a bus caught fire in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool district in the early hours of Friday. The bus, carrying 41 passengers, was travelling from Hyderabad to Bengaluru when it went up in flames near Chinnatekur village in Kallur mandal.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the loss of lives and announced an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh each for the next of kin of the deceased and ₹50,000 for the injured from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF).

“Extremely saddened by the loss of lives due to a mishap in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh. My thoughts are with the affected people and their families during this difficult time. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a post on X.

The Volvo bus belonging to a private travel operator was registered in Odisha and was heading to Bengaluru from Hyderabad when it met with the accident near Chinnatekur village on the outskirts of Kurnool at around 3.30 a.m.

Police said 21 passengers survived as they managed to escape through the emergency door and broke glass windows to get out. A couple of passengers remained untraced.

The bus belonging to Vkaveri Travels had 43 people on board, including two drivers. The passengers included 10 women and two children.

Kurnool District Collector A. Siri told media persons at the scene of the mishap that out of the 41 people on board, they have traced 21. As many as 11 of these 21 were taken to hospitals in Kurnool. The condition of all the injured was stable.

The accident occurred around 3.30 a.m. near Ullindakonda in Kurnool district, police said. The death toll may go up as the missing passengers are feared dead.

#WATCH | Andhra Pradesh | Several people lost their lives after a bus burst into flames near the Chinna Tekur village in Kurnool. Fire tenders and Police are present at the spot.

More details awaited pic.twitter.com/JMsDJQpnen

— ANI (@ANI) October 24, 2025

A two-wheeler rammed into Bus 

The bus began its journey from Hyderabad around 10.30 p.m., and when it was close to Kurnool on the National Highway 44 (NH-44), at around 3:30 am, a two-wheeler rammed into the bus.

The motorbike got stuck under the belly of the bus and this is suspected to have caused the spark that ignited the horrific blaze. Survivors said the two-wheeler was dragged by the bus for about 300 metres before coming to a stop. Most of the passengers were asleep at the time of the accident. One of the survivors said he woke up to the screams of “fire,” and he, along with some others broke the emergency window to jump to safety.

Akash, one of the survivors, said the bus was engulfed in flames within minutes, and as it was an AC bus with fixed windows, it was difficult to escape. Most of the passengers on board belong to Hyderabad. By the time a fire engine rushed to the spot the bus was completely gutted. Police swung into action to shift the injured to hospitals.

Four members of a family were among the deceased. The deceased were identified as Golla Ramesh (35), Anusha (30), Manivata (10) and Manisha (12).

The person riding the bike was also killed in the accident. He was identified as Shiva Shankar (20), a resident of Kurnool town.

By the time a fire engine rushed to the spot the bus was completely gutted.

Police swung into action to shift the injured to hospitals.

The Collector said they have to confirm if the bus hit the bike or the two-wheeler rammed into the bus and went under it due to the impact of the collision, resulting in sparks and fuel leak that triggered the fire.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Koya Praveen said the fire started from the bike. “The fuel tank of the bus is intact. The fire started from the bike’s fuel tank. As the material under the bus was highly combustible, the fire spread rapidly,” he said.

The DIG said out of two drivers, one was in their custody while the other was yet to be traced.

A team of officials including forensic experts pulled out bodies. As the bodies were charred beyond recognition, DNA tests would be conducted to identify the remains.

On the direction of Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, Gadwal District Collector and Superintendent of Police rushed to the spot to assist the families of the deceased and the survivors.

As many as 13 ambulances have left from Hyderabad for Kurnool to bring back the bodies.

According to officials, the deceased belonged to Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

Andhra Pradesh Transport Minister M. Ramprasad Reddy visited the accident site. He said the state government would provide all help to families of the deceased.