Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, October 24, 2025 — A tragic bus accident in Kurnool district has left a deep sense of grief. A private AC sleeper bus belonging to Vemuri Kaveri Travels, traveling from Hyderabad to Bengaluru, caught fire and was completely reduced to ashes. In this horrifying incident, 19 passengers were burned alive, while 21 others miraculously survived.
How the Accident Occurred: The incident took place on National Highway 44 near Chinnatekur in Kurnool district early Friday morning. The bus was hit forcefully by a bike, which triggered the fire. Authorities stated that the bus dragged the bike for some distance before the fuel tank suddenly ignited, causing the flames to spread rapidly. At the time of the accident, there were 43 people on the bus — 41 passengers and two drivers. Among the passengers were two children and ten women. Since it was early morning, most passengers were asleep.
Survivors’ Accounts and Heroic Actions: Flames and smoke spread quickly inside the bus. Many passengers, waking from deep sleep, barely realized the danger before the situation became life-threatening. The emergency door failed to open, forcing some passengers to take courageous measures to save themselves.
A passenger, Akash (24), shared, “There was a loud sound suddenly. When I got up, I saw huge flames. I immediately broke the window and jumped out. Along with me, two others jumped out of the bus. I am traveling from Hyderabad to Bengaluru for Diwali. I work as a sales executive in a paint company.”
Like Akash, several other passengers broke windows at the back of the bus to escape. Thanks to the bravery and mutual cooperation of those on board, many were able to survive. The 21 survivors from this horrifying accident are:
- M. Satyanarayana (27), Sattupalli, Khammam
- Jayasurya (24), Miyapur, Hyderabad
- Naveenkumar (26), Hayathnagar, Hyderabad
- Saraswati Harika (30), Bengaluru
- Neelakurthi Ramesh (36), Kothapeta, Nellore
- Neelakurthi Ramesh’s wife, Srilakshmi
- Neelakurthi Ramesh’s daughter, Jaswitha
- Neelakurthi Ramesh’s son, Abhir
- Kaper Ashok (27), Nellore
- Sriharsha (25), Nellore
- Keerthi (28), SR Nagar, Hyderabad
- Venugopal Reddy (24)
- M.G. Ramareddy
- Subrahmanyam
- Ashwin Reddy
- Akash (24)
- Jayanth Kushwal
- Pankaj Prajapati
- Guna Sai
- Shiva
- Gloria Elsa Sam
Rescue Operations and Investigation: Immediately after the accident, the 21 passengers managed to escape with minor injuries by breaking windows and using the emergency exits. Firefighters arrived at the scene and controlled the blaze, but by then the bus had been completely destroyed. The bodies of the 19 passengers who were trapped and burned alive were recovered by a forensic team. Authorities are conducting a detailed investigation into this tragic incident.
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