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Andhra Pradesh Government announces ₹5 lakh ex gratia for families of Kurnool bus tragedy victims and ₹2 lakh compensation for those injured in the accident
The horrific bus accident in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool district claimed the lives of 19 passengers and the motorcyclist who rammed into the bus, taking the total toll to 20.
The tragedy unfolded earlier in the day when a private bus carrying 39 passengers caught fire after hitting a bike.(Photo | Special arrangement)
KURNOOL: Nineteen people, including two children, were charred to death, and several others sustained burn injuries when an AC sleeper bus travelling from Hyderabad to Bengaluru caught fire on the National Highway 44 near Chinnatekuru village in Kurnool district in the early hours of Friday.
The bus belonging to Vemuri Kaveri Travels caught fire around 3 am after hitting a motorcycle, and dragged it for some distance, generating sparks which ignited its fuel tank, triggering the blaze. The biker also died in the incident, taking the toll to 20.
At the time of the accident, a total of 46 people, including four children, and two drivers, were in the vehicle. As the flames spread rapidly, passengers were trapped inside the burning vehicle. Locals and police acted swiftly, rescuing several passengers despite the intense blaze, and heavy rain.
Rescue operations continued for hours, and with the joint efforts of fire service personnel, police, revenue, and medical teams, the fire was brought under control, and injured were shifted to Kurnool GGH.
CM expresses grief, announces Rs 5 lakh ex gratia
Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha said out of 19 victims, six each hailed from Andhra Pradesh, and neighbouring Telangana, two each from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, one each was from Odisha and Bihar. The identity of a person, who boarded the ill-fated bus at Aramghar in Hyderabad, is yet to be established.
Some of the bodies were charred beyond recognition, prompting officials to deploy forensic teams to collect DNA samples of the deceased.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was extremely saddened by the incident, and announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each for the families of the deceased, and Rs 50,000 to the injured.
“Extremely saddened by the loss of lives due to a mishap in the Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh. My thoughts are with the affected people and their families during this difficult time. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured. An ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs 50,000,” read a post by the PMO.
Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha consoling the injured passengers undergoing treatment at the Government General Hospital in Kurnool on Friday.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who is currently on an official visit to the UAE, expressed deep anguish over the tragedy. Upon being briefed by senior officials, he held discussions with the Chief Secretary, and directed top administrative personnel to rush to the accident site, and oversee rescue and relief efforts. The Chief Minister announced an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh each for the families of the deceased belonging to Andhra Pradesh, and Rs 2 lakh to the injured.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy conveyed heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased. He instructed the State officials to coordinate with Andhra Pradesh authorities, and take necessary relief measures. The Telangana government set up a helpline to help the families of the victims.
The Home Minister described the Kurnool bus tragedy as a ‘deeply unfortunate incident’, and asserted that the AP government is investigating the mishap from all possible angles to identify the exact cause, and prevent future occurrences.
Addressing a press conference at the District Police Office in Kurnool city on Friday, after visiting both the accident site near Chinnatekur in Kallur mandal, and the injured victims undergoing treatment at the GGH, the Home Minister and Transport Minister Mandipalli Ramprasad Reddy briefed the media about the rescue operations, casualties, and government response.
Anitha said the two bus drivers were taken into custody, and preliminary questioning is underway. To identify the bodies, 16 forensic teams were deployed, including 10 for DNA testing, 4 for physical and blast analysis, and 2 for chemical analysis.
“Strict action will be taken against those responsible for this negligence. We are probing all aspects, like mechanical, human and regulatory failures. The CM will soon form a high-power committee with Transport, Police, and Revenue Departments to frame new safety protocols, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for highway bus operations.”
The Transport Minister termed the Kurnool bus fire a heart-wrenching tragedy, emphasising that new buses are already equipped with automatic fire alarm system, but the ill-fated bus was 7-year-old, and lacked that feature. “This is the third fire-related highway incident in recent times. We are working with the Transport Ministers of Telangana and Karnataka, and the Union government’s MoRTH to introduce fresh safety guidelines for inter-state buses,” he said.
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