Death came without warning. Around 3 am, a Bengaluru-bound private bus burst into flames after colliding with a motorcycle, killing 20 people. Most of the passengers were asleep and died before they even realised what was happening.
The fire consumed the entire vehicle, leaving behind nothing but a charred metal shell. Most of the victims were burned beyond recognition. Those jolted awake managed to escape through the emergency exit, some with broken limbs and others with minor injuries — but they were the lucky ones, carrying with them stories that will never be forgotten.
“I saw the fire engulf the bus—it spread within seconds,” said S Harika from Nellore, describing the scene she woke up to.
Harika was one of the few who were jolted awake as the flames engulfed the bus.
“The rear door was broken by a passenger so we could escape. We all jumped out through it, and I suffered a minor injury on my forehead,” she said.
Harika, who works for an IT company in Chennai and hails from Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh, is currently under observation in a hospital. She said her condition is stable.
She had been travelling from Hyderabad to Bengaluru for some personal work.
For Suriya, Bengaluru was meant to mark a new chapter – a job interview at a top IT firm on Saturday. He never thought the new chapter would begin like this.
"I woke up to screams. The bus was full of smoke and fire. I broke the glass nearby and jumped out," he said
He broke his leg during the miraculous escape but is grateful to be alive.
"My legs are fractured because I jumped from over 15 feet high. The doctor said I will be fine soon," he said.
Suriya, who lives in Hyderabad, said that the fire engulfed the bus at around 2:45 in the morning.
There were also a few other IT professionals on the bus with him.
"Me and Naveen (IT employee), one of the passengers that I had a conversation with, also jumped out from the bus and is now beside me in the hospital,” he said, adding that the local authorities are arranging a vehicle for them to head back home along with a police official to ensure safety.
Meanwhile, Naveen Kumar was returning to Bengaluru, where he works.
“I was returning to Bengaluru, where I work. Suddenly, I heard a loud noise while asleep. When I woke up, flames had already spread inside the bus," he said.
"Someone broke the window glass, and I jumped out through it to save my life," said the software professional from Hayathnagar, Hyderabad.
Ruchita, another software professional, said, “I woke up trapped in the flames. Somehow, I gathered courage and jumped down. People from outside broke the windows and helped us escape."
"They were truly our saviours. It feels like I was reborn,” she added.
Describing the chaos, Suryanarayana, another passenger, said that people were screaming for help.
“Before we could understand what happened, the bus was engulfed in fire. We heard people screaming for help. It was impossible to tell who survived and who didn’t.”
Some passengers escaped by breaking the nearest window and jumping out of the burning bus.
Smoke and noise woke another passenger who was undergoing treatment for minor injuries said.
"The loud noise woke me up instantly. There was a lot of smoke in the bus," the passenger said.
According to Kurnool District Collector A Siri, those who escaped the accident are stable and out of danger, she said.
Many passengers were unable to escape the crash as it happened in the dead of night, while they were fast asleep.
The Collector added that the bus door did not open immediately, as some wires got cut, which increased the severity of the tragedy.
“Most of the passengers belonged to Hyderabad,“ Siri added.
(With inputs from PTI and Express News Service)
