Andhra bus fire: Bus owner, driver in police custody, bodies of victims to be handed over after DNA profiling

Hyderabad: The owner of Harikrishna Travels, P Harikrishna Reddy, and the driver Yuvaraju have been taken into custody by police in connection with the horrific road accident near Rayavaram in Markapur, Andhra Pradesh, that killed 14 people on Thursday.

Both had been absconding since the accident. Police tracked Harikrishna Reddy down by tracing his mobile phone signals and took him into custody on Friday, said sources in the Andhra Pradesh government.

Driver Yuvaraju, who fled the scene immediately after the incident, was apprehended near Pamuru mandal in Kanigiri.

The accident, in which 14 passengers were burned alive, sent shockwaves across the state. Another 28 people sustained serious injuries and remained hospitalised. Reddy operated Harikrishna Travels from Kaligiri in Nellore district.

He originally ran a lorry transport business before entering the private travels sector four years ago, sensing strong demand for bus services connecting the region to Telangana.

It is learnt that he currently runs at least 14 buses, most of them second-hand vehicles purchased cheaply from other states. The bus involved in Thursday's fatal accident was registered in Arunachal Pradesh and had been plagued by multiple mechanical issues.

The majority of the victims had been living in Telangana, working in the construction sector, while maintaining strong roots in the Kanigiri and Vinjamuru regions of Markapur and Nellore districts. They regularly travelled between the two states to stay connected with their families and communities in Andhra Pradesh.

One of the victims, Devendra Ramaiah (50), from Punugodu village in Kanigiri, had been working as a construction labourer across Telangana and had settled in Korutla.

He had a deep affection for his home village and, every year on Sri Rama Navami, would return to celebrate with his brothers. Keeping that tradition, Ramaiah boarded the ill-fated bus from Korutla on Wednesday night. By the time it reached Markapur, it had caught fire, and he perished.

Uppu Ramadevi and her son Manohar, from Mandadivaripallie village in Kanigiri mandal, Prakasam district, were on the same bus, heading home in high spirits. When the bus collided with the tipper and flames erupted instantly, Ramadevi did not spare a thought for her own life.

She pushed Manohar out of the burning bus, relieved to see him reach safety, believing she too could escape. But the fire engulfed the entire bus within moments, leaving her no way out. She was burned alive right before her son's eyes. "I could not save my mother," an inconsolable Manohar said.

Ambati Anil (26), from SC Colony in Pedaarikkatla, Konakanimittla mandal, and his five-month-old son Leon also lost their lives. Anil's wife Soujanya survived.

Married two years ago, the young family had boarded the bus from Karimnagar on Wednesday night to celebrate baby Leon's rice-feeding ceremony, Annaprasana, with relatives in their home village just an hour away.

When the fire broke out, Anil smashed a window and pushed Soujanya to safety. Unwilling to risk jumping with the infant, he moved toward the cabin gate to find a safer exit. The flames surged before he could escape, and both father and son perished.

Post-mortem procedures for all the 14 victims have been completed at Markapur Area Hospital. Since the bodies were burned beyond recognition, authorities have initiated scientific identification measures.

DNA samples collected from family members of the deceased have been dispatched to the Forensic Lab in Vijayawada for analysis. The bodies will be officially handed over to families once the results are received.