Police personnel look on as firemen douse a fire after a private bus collided with a lorry and caught fire, near Sirivella Metta, in Nandyal district, Andhra Pradesh.
Credit: PTI Photo
Hyderabad: Three people were charred to death and several others injured in a horrific road accident near Sirivellametta in Sirivella mandal, Nandyal district, Andhra Pradesh, early Thursday.
A private sleeper bus carrying 36 passengers from Nellore to Hyderabad suffered a tire burst around 2 am, lost control, veered across the divider, and collided head-on with an oncoming container lorry.
The impact ignited a fire that engulfed both vehicles, gutting them completely. The bus driver, lorry driver, and bus cleaner died on the spot with their bodies were charred beyond recognition.
A passing DCM truck driver spotted the blaze, stopped his vehicle, and smashed the bus windows, allowing passengers to jump out. More than ten escaped with minor injuries.
All passenger luggage was destroyed in the flames. Police rushed to the scene, oversaw rescue efforts, and shifted the injured to Nandyal Government Hospital. A case has been registered, and investigations are underway.
Surviving passengers recounted their nightmarish ordeal after their miraculous escape. “That DCM driver luckily alerted us, broke the windows, and helped us jump out. Otherwise, we would all be dead as we were deep asleep,” one passenger recalled.
Nandyal district Superintendent of Police (SP) Suneel Sheoran said both vehicles were engulfed in flames after the collision, but all 36 passengers were safely evacuated. Four sustained minor fractures and were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.