<p>Hyderabad: Police and fire department officials probing Thursday's deadly bus accident near Markapur in <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/andhra-pradesh">Andhra Pradesh</a>, which left 14 passengers dead, have pointed to driver Yuvaraju's negligence as the root cause of the disaster.</p>.<p>According to police sources, Yuvaraju was driving well above the speed limit and fighting off sleep when he approached an S-shaped bend near Rayavaram. Losing control, he crossed into the oncoming lane and slammed into a gravel-laden tipper lorry, setting off the blaze that would prove fatal for 14 people.</p>.<p>The tipper had been moving normally in its designated lane when the bus hurtled into its path. Though the tipper driver yanked the wheel to the right in a desperate bid to avoid impact, the bus ploughed straight into the lorry's <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/diesel">diesel</a> tank. Fuel gushed onto the bus, and within seconds, fire consumed it entirely.</p>.Bengaluru: Shivamogga-bound KSRTC bus catches fire near Lulu Mall in Rajajinagar; passengers escape unhurt.<p>Investigators have further noted that Yuvaraju had a poor grasp of lane discipline and road markings, compounding the risk he posed behind the wheel. A separate line of inquiry is looking into whether inflammable materials stored inside the bus helped the fire take hold so quickly.</p>.<p>Yuvaraju told investigators during questioning that the steering column had seized up, robbing him of any ability to manoeuvre. Officials, however, remained unconvinced, and believe fatigue at the wheel is the far more plausible explanation.</p>.<p>It has also come to light that Yuvaraju had been driving for barely thirty minutes before the crash. His co-driver had handled the entire stretch from 5 pm Wednesday through to 5 am Thursday. After the collision, rather than helping the trapped passengers, Yuvaraju slipped away from the scene entirely.</p>
<p>Hyderabad: Police and fire department officials probing Thursday's deadly bus accident near Markapur in <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/andhra-pradesh">Andhra Pradesh</a>, which left 14 passengers dead, have pointed to driver Yuvaraju's negligence as the root cause of the disaster.</p>.<p>According to police sources, Yuvaraju was driving well above the speed limit and fighting off sleep when he approached an S-shaped bend near Rayavaram. Losing control, he crossed into the oncoming lane and slammed into a gravel-laden tipper lorry, setting off the blaze that would prove fatal for 14 people.</p>.<p>The tipper had been moving normally in its designated lane when the bus hurtled into its path. Though the tipper driver yanked the wheel to the right in a desperate bid to avoid impact, the bus ploughed straight into the lorry's <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/diesel">diesel</a> tank. Fuel gushed onto the bus, and within seconds, fire consumed it entirely.</p>.Bengaluru: Shivamogga-bound KSRTC bus catches fire near Lulu Mall in Rajajinagar; passengers escape unhurt.<p>Investigators have further noted that Yuvaraju had a poor grasp of lane discipline and road markings, compounding the risk he posed behind the wheel. A separate line of inquiry is looking into whether inflammable materials stored inside the bus helped the fire take hold so quickly.</p>.<p>Yuvaraju told investigators during questioning that the steering column had seized up, robbing him of any ability to manoeuvre. Officials, however, remained unconvinced, and believe fatigue at the wheel is the far more plausible explanation.</p>.<p>It has also come to light that Yuvaraju had been driving for barely thirty minutes before the crash. His co-driver had handled the entire stretch from 5 pm Wednesday through to 5 am Thursday. After the collision, rather than helping the trapped passengers, Yuvaraju slipped away from the scene entirely.</p>