'Only 2-3 were awake': Passengers narrate Kurnool bus fire horror
What's the story
A Volvo bus carrying 41 passengers from Hyderabad to Bengaluru caught fire in Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool district early Friday morning. The incident left at least 20 people dead, per ANI. The fire broke out after the bus collided with a motorcycle around 3:00 am-3:30am, according to eyewitness accounts. Most passengers were asleep at the time of the accident, and many who were awake escaped by breaking windows.
Escape efforts
Passengers broke emergency windows to escape
Eyewitnesses described a harrowing scene as passengers tried to escape the burning bus. One passenger, Jayant Kushwaha, told ANI that he woke up around 2:30am to find the bus on fire. "Only two three people were awake. We yelled fire and woke everybody up. The doors were locked. We couldn't locate the drivers. We broke the emergency window as the main door was locked....Many people jumped out of the bus by breaking the windows," Jayant said.
Ongoing investigation
More accounts
Another eyewitness, Ashwin, said around 20 people managed to get out of the bus, but others were trapped inside due to locked exits. Ashwin stated he was the one who alerted the driver to the fire on the window side. Sleeper buses, which frequently travel long distances, are outfitted with curtains to provide privacy. "Since it's a sleeper...We don't know how many people are there or who is there due to...curtains," passenger Harika, who managed to escape, told NDTV.
Official response
PM, President, Rahul Gandhi express grief
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his grief over the incident, calling it "deeply saddening." He announced an ex gratia of ₹2 lakh to the families of those who died and ₹50,000 to those injured. President Droupadi Murmu also expressed sorrow over the loss of lives in this "deeply unfortunate" incident. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called it a "tragic and painful" event and stressed stricter vehicle safety measures.