A devastating road accident in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool district on Friday morning left several passengers dead after a bus caught fire following a collision. 

The private air-conditioned bus, carrying more than 40 passengers and two drivers, was en route from Bengaluru to Hyderabad when it reportedly collided with a motorcycle near Chinna Tekur village, reported The Times of India.

Fifteen passengers were rescued and taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, Kurnool Superintendent of Police Vikrant Patil told NDTV. 

The exact number of casualties remains uncertain, though early reports suggest that at least 20 people may have lost their lives. 

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed condolences to the bereaved families and said that the state government would ensure proper assistance for the injured and the victims’ relatives.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed sorrow over the tragic bus accident and said that he was “extremely saddened by the loss of lives due to the mishap in Andhra Pradesh.” 

The Prime Minister also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for each of the injured.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the collision likely triggered a spark, causing the bus to catch fire almost instantly. “Since it was an AC bus, the passengers were trapped inside and had to break the windows to escape. Those who managed to break the glass survived,” Patil told NDTV. 

Firefighters and police personnel quickly reached the site and managed to bring the blaze under control, but much of the vehicle had already been gutted by the flames.

Authorities are continuing rescue and recovery efforts while identifying the victims.

 This tragic incident follows a similar bus fire in Rajasthan earlier this month, where 20 passengers were killed and 15 injured after an AC sleeper bus traveling from Jaisalmer to Jodhpur went up in flames.