Kurnool bus fire: Explosion of two 12 KV batteries worsened blaze, say police

Kurnool (Andhra Pradesh): The Andhra Pradesh Police on Saturday said that the explosion of two 12 KV batteries on board the ill-fated private bus significantly intensified the blaze that claimed 19 lives in Kurnool, more than the initial spark from a two-wheeler’s fuel tank.

According to police, the accident occurred in the early hours of Friday when a sleeper bus traveling from Hyderabad to Bengaluru ran over a two-wheeler that had earlier met with an accident at Chinna Tekuru village in Kurnool district. The collision triggered a massive fire that engulfed the vehicle, trapping passengers inside.

“There were two points of combustion. First was the two-wheeler’s fuel tank and the second was its impact at the bus’ battery toolkit,” said Kurnool Range DIG Koya Praveen, adding, “That (two-wheeler fuel tank) wasn’t the major cause of fire. The tank got burst and fire erupted exactly at the main exit door. And behind the main exit door there were bus batteries, two 12 KV batteries. These batteries exploded.”

Praveen said the bus interior contained highly combustible materials, including metallic paint, which made the flames spread rapidly. He added that although there was a consignment of mobile phones in the bus, they remained mostly intact. “The batteries were the major factor,” he said.

Police have taken the driver, Miriyala Lakshmaiah (42), and additional driver, Siva Narayana, into custody. Lakshmaiah, who was driving at the time of the accident, has been booked for negligence and overspeeding under Sections 125(a) (endangering human life) and 106(1) (causing death by negligence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Kurnool Superintendent of Police Vikrant Patil said the driver escaped through the passenger door after the fire broke out. “After escaping the raging fire, Lakshmaiah woke up the additional driver sleeping in the luggage rack at the bottom portion of the bus between the front and rear wheels. Realising they could not enter the vehicle, together they started breaking the window panes with a rod used to change tyres, enabling some passengers to escape,” Patil said.

Patil added that onlookers also broke window panes to help passengers flee. “However, the fire continued to rage and engulf the entire bus, prompting the scared Lakshmaiah to flee the spot,” he said. Police later arrested him in Kurnool.

DIG Praveen praised additional driver Narayana as “the saviour” who played a key role in rescuing trapped passengers.

Clarifying initial reports, Patil said the bus did not ram into the bike from behind but ran over it after the two-wheeler had already skidded. “Shankar, the two-wheeler rider, had died on the spot after his vehicle skidded and hit the divider, moments before the bus ran over it,” he said. The pillion rider, Erri Swamy, survived with minor injuries.

Police said that before the accident, the duo had stopped at a petrol pump to refuel their bike, a moment captured in a video that has since gone viral. Officials are also investigating reports that the men had consumed alcohol prior to the crash.

Meanwhile, Kurnool District Collector A. Siri said that DNA profiling of the 19 victims is underway at the Forensic Sciences Laboratory in Vijayawada and is expected to be completed by October 27.

“I am informed that it (DNA profiling) will take 48 hours. We are also arranging ambulances and vehicles so that, as soon as the results come, we will transport those bodies to their respective places,” Siri said.

According to the collector, the remains were “completely charred beyond recognition.” “The flesh is completely charred and has become black and only the trunk part is left in most of the cases,” she added.

All the bodies are being preserved at the Kurnool Government General Hospital (GGH) until DNA confirmation is completed, after which they will be handed over to relatives.