At least 20 killed as bus catches fire in Andhra's Kurnool
Credit: PTI photo
In what can be termed as one of the worst road tragedies the country has seen in recent times, around 19 people were killed when a Bengaluru-bound private bus caught fire during the early hours of Friday, October 24. The horrific accident, which occurred around 3.30 am, took place near Chinnatekur village in the Kallur mandal of Andhra Pradesh. Following the accident, the spotlight has once again turned to the safety concerns with regard to private buses and Andhra Pradesh transport authorities have begun a crakdown on buses flouting safety norms and regulations.
However, this is not the first time that such a tragic incident with regard to buses are taking place in India. Here is a list of some notable such mishaps in the past decade:
2013
A bus in Mahabubnagar, Telangana, caught fire after hitting a culvert, resulting in 45 fatalities.
2017
A bus in Himachal Pradesh fell into a 500-foot gorge due to driver error and overcrowding, causing 44 deaths.
2018
A private bus plunged into a canal in Mandya, killing 30 passengers, mostly schoolkids.
2022
A sleeper bus caught fire on a highway in Nashik, Maharashtra, killing 13 people from a short circuit in the engine.
2023
Two back-to-back crashes in Buldhana and Doda resulted in over 30 fatalities, caused by overspeeding and driver fatigue.
2024
In Almora, Uttarakhand, a bus fell into a gorge due to brake failure, resulting in 15 deaths.
2025
In Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, a Bengaluru-bound Kaveri Travels sleeper bus caught fire after hitting a motorcycle, killing 19 passengers.