Police teams examining CCTV footage from nearby areas traced the vehicles that passed the bike, and then spoke to their drivers.
Credit: PTI Photo
Hyderabad: A week after the Kurnool bus tragedy in which 20 people died, investigators have revealed that before the V Kaveri Travels bus dragged the motorbike, which triggered a fire, for nearly 200 metres on the highway, at least 10 other vehicles passed the two-wheeler and noticed it, but evaded it.
The ill-fated bus struck the bike, which got wedged underneath and was dragged for a distance, triggering sparks that ignited flames and quickly engulfed the bus.
Police teams examining CCTV footage from nearby areas traced the vehicles that passed the bike, and then spoke to their drivers.
Some said they saw two individuals skidding on the rain-slicked highway and assumed it was a minor mishap. Others avoided stopping, fearing a rear-end collision amid poor visibility.
An expert told DH that the tragedy could have been prevented if the driver, travelling at 100 kmph, had spotted the bike 120 metres ahead — the "reaction distance" — and applied the brakes in time.
“Once brakes are applied, the bus moves another 80 meters before it halts in that speed, known as the ‘braking distance.’ Altogether, a heavy vehicle covers nearly 120 metres from perceiving a hazard to coming to a stop. In this case, reports indicate the bus dragged the bike for nearly 200 metres, showing the driver was likely distracted or inattentive,” retired deputy transport commissioner Srinivas Puppala told DH.
The police also found that biker Siva Sankar and his companion, Yerriswami, had been drinking throughout the night.
The duo had already consumed around 350 ml of liquor, and then went out to buy more before heading toward Rampalli to attend a wedding.
The bike’s headlight was not functioning, and they reportedly rode 4-5 km using only blinkers in heavy rain before hitting a divider.
The police said the two were travelling at around 70 kmph and were captured together on CCTV footage at a nearby petrol bunk.
Yerriswami also said he saw the bus driver attempt to extinguish the fire before it spread rapidly through the vehicle.
Terrified by the escalating blaze, he fled the scene. The next day, he attended his friend’s wedding and returned home to Ramapalli, where the police traced him and recorded his statement.
Owner still untraced
Meanwhile, V Kaveri Travels owner Vemuri Vinod Kumar remains untraced. The Kurnool Police have formed four special teams to locate and arrest him.
Vinod Kumar has been named accused no 2. Bus driver Lakmaiah, named accused no 1, is already in judicial custody.
A senior officer said the police were monitoring all locations linked to Vinod Kumar and expressed confidence that he would be arrested soon.