'Fire, screams- they still haunt me every night': Kurnool bus tragedy survivor recounts harrowing escape

Hyderabad: In one of the deadliest road mishaps in recent years, the V Kaveri Travels' Hyderabad- Bengaluru Ac sleeper bus that caught fire near Kurnool claimed 19 lives last Friday. Among the survivors was software engineer 27 year old Jayanth Kushuwaha, who miraculously escaped through the rear emergency exit window. In this exclusive conversation with DH's SNV Sudhir, he recounts the night of horror that continues to haunt him.

Q: Mr. Jayanth, could you tell us a bit about yourself and your travel routine?

I work as a software engineer in Bengaluru and visit my family in Hyderabad every three or four weeks. Sleeper buses are usually my preferred mode of travel because the stops and timings suit my schedule better than government buses and trains. I’ve taken the V Kaveri Travels service several times, often on the same route and even the same seat U7 upper berth. Until this accident, I never imagined such a tragedy could happen on what had always been a routine journey.

Q: When did you board the bus, and what happened on that night of the accident?

I boarded the bus around 10:30 pm from Lakdi-ka-pul, one of the last pick-up points in Hyderabad. Most passengers were already asleep when the bus stopped for a short break near Jadcherla around midnight. The accident happened sometime around 2:30 or 2:40 am. I was asleep when I felt a sudden jerk and strong vibrations. The bus had hit a motorbike on the highway and dragged it for nearly 200 meters. At first, I thought it was just a rough patch or an off-road stop. But within seconds, I noticed flames near the front section. My seat was in the middle, so I could see the fire but didn’t want to believe it. I thought it might just be headlight reflections in the rain. Then smoke started spreading rapidly. Panic broke out.

Q: How did you manage to escape?

I grabbed my phone and laptop bag and rushed to the front, but the main door was jammed. Someone shouted about an emergency exit at the back. In the chaos and darkness, I found a small window barely the size of a computer monitor. There was no handle, hammer, or light. I tried punching and kicking it. After several hard blows, it finally cracked, and I rammed into it with my shoulder and head until it broke open. By then, thick smoke had reached the back. My lungs were burning, but I managed to push my bag out and jump. I landed barefoot, injuring my foot, but I just ran, fearing another blast. Within five minutes, the entire bus was engulfed in flames. About 24 passengers survived; around nine or ten escaped from the rear window like me, four broke through the driver’s window, and a few families escaped from a side window shattered by someone outside. The fire spread so fast that no one had time to think. The screams, the smoke, everything still haunts me whenever I try to sleep.

Q: You’ve said you often travelled by these AC sleeper buses. Did you ever feel unsafe before?

Not really. These buses are convenient, and incidents like this are rare. Sometimes I did feel a little uneasy because AC sleepers are tightly packed with very little ventilation, but I never imagined a fire could trap so many people. Now, I don’t think I can ever travel in an AC sleeper again. If I have no choice, I’d prefer government buses or non-AC coaches where you can at least slide a window and jump out.

Q: What do you think went wrong that night, and what lessons should be learned?

Several things failed at once. First, the bus was illegally modified from a seater into a sleeper without proper safety checks. Second, the drivers clearly lacked training to handle such emergencies. Third, no passenger knew where the emergency exits were; there was no briefing or signage. The most critical mistake was that the bus was carrying around 300 smartphones. Their lithium batteries exploded one after another, worsening the fire. The entire floor melted. It’s horrifying to recall. This tragedy should serve as an eye-opener. Authorities in both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana must strengthen inspections, penalize illegal modifications, and enforce safety drills. No one should ever go through what we did that night.

Q: Does the trauma still affect you?

Every single night. The fire, the people shouting, that suffocating smoke it all comes back the moment I close my eyes. I survived, yes, but the memory still burns inside me. I just hope no one else has to relive such horror again.