HYDERABAD: The survivors of the Kurnool bus tragedy say they are alive only by chance. Hours after escaping from the burning vehicle, many still struggled to believe what they had witnessed.
For MG Rama Reddy (50) from East Godavari, the journey to visit his daughter in Bengaluru turned into a nightmare. “I woke up to people screaming and breaking the glass on the emergency exit,” he said, speaking from his home in Kukatpally after being discharged from hospital. “The smoke was so thick I couldn’t breathe. Someone pulled my leg from behind and dragged me out through the window.”
Friday was his birthday. “I should not have been alive. I don’t know who pulled me out, but they saved me,” he said.
Meanwhile, survivor Mannepalli Satyanarayana, a DRDO employee from Hyderabad, escaped with a fracture. His father said, “He was lucky to get out. We can only pray for those who didn’t.”
Venugopal Reddy (24) from Sri Sathya Sai district said he had boarded the bus around 10.30 pm from Hyderabad. “I woke up to screams. People were smashing the rear glass to escape. I ran and helped. The fire spread so fast, by the time I jumped out, the bus was engulfed,” he recalled.
Another passenger, Jaya Surya (23), who had an interview in Bengaluru, said he called his parents after escaping the jaws of death. “It all happened in minutes. We didn’t even understand what was going on,” he said.
Several survivors remain under treatment in Kurnool and Hyderabad hospitals. Doctors said most are recovering from burns and fractures, while others are receiving counselling.
For those who escaped, the relief is mixed with grief. “We are alive, but our minds are still inside that bus,” said one survivor.
