Bus catches fire in AP, 40 feared killed

Forty passengers burnt alive when a bus caught fire in Mahabubnagar district in Andhra Pradesh early Wednesday, police said.

 

A private bus coming to Hyderabad from Bangalore caught fire after hitting a culvert near Palem in Mahabubnagar district around 5.20 am

 

Seven passengers, including the driver and a cleaner, managed to escape. They were shifted to a hospital.

 

The five injured passengers of Bangalore-Hyderabad bus, which caught fire in Mahabubnagar district in Andhra Pradesh early Wednesday, are Sreekar (Hyderabad), Rajesh (Hyderabad), Jai Singh (Uttar Pradesh), Mazhar Basha (Bangalore) and Jogesh (Bangalore).

 

The Volvo, belonging to Jabbar Travels, was carrying 49 passengers. The passengers were asleep when the bus hit the culvert and its diesel tank burst. People from nearby village said the bus was reduced to ashes within few minutes. The victims were charred beyond recognition.

 

Mahabubnagar District Collector M.Girija Shankar said five passengers were undergoing treatment at a hospital at Vanaparti.

 

He along with Superintendent of Police Nagendra Kumar visited the scene. They said a list of only 29 passengers was received from the private bus travels. Other passengers boarded the bus enroute.

 

The bus left Bangalore at 10 pm Tuesday and was scheduled to reach Hyderabad at 6.30 am.

 

Mahabubnagar district police in Andhra Pradesh have opened a helpline to provide information about the mishap. 

 

Following are the helpline numbers: 9494600100, 08542-245927, 245930, 245932.