Kurnool (Andhra Pradesh), Oct 24 (IANS) As many as 11 people were charred to death when a private bus caught fire after hitting a two-wheeler in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool in the early hours of Friday. As many as 19 people jumped to safety from the burning bus by breaking a window.

The bus belonging to a private travel operator was heading to Bengaluru from Hyderabad and had 40 people on board.

As many as 19 passengers came out of the vehicle by breaking windows of the Volvo bus of Vemuri Kaveri Travels. The accident occurred around 3.30 a.m. near Ullindakonda in Kurnool district, police said.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Koya Praveen said a total of 21 passengers were rescued. Eleven of the deceased have been identified.

The death toll may go up as the missing passengers were feared dead.

As many as 11 passengers were shifted to a government hospital, while three others were being treated at private hospitals.

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).

–IANS

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