Kurnool: A tragic accident occurred near Ullindakonda cross, 20 kilometres from Kurnool town in the early hours of Friday when a Bengaluru–Hyderabad bound Kaveri Travels bus caught fire, leaving several passengers feared dead. The incident took place around 3:30 a.m., causing panic among passengers and locals who rushed to the spot to help.

According to initial reports, the private travel bus was carrying around 40 passengers at the time of the accident. Fire suddenly broke out from the vehicle, and within minutes, the entire bus was engulfed in flames. Some passengers managed to escape by breaking the windows, while others were trapped inside as the blaze intensified. Locals and passersby tried to extinguish the fire before fire tenders arrived, but the bus was completely gutted by the time rescue teams reached the scene.

Preliminary information suggests that around 12 passengers managed to get down safely before the fire spread rapidly, but several others were unable to escape in time. The injured were immediately shifted to the Kurnool Government General Hospital for treatment. Police and fire officials are still verifying the exact number of casualties, though several deaths have been reported.

Eyewitnesses stated that the fire spread suddenly, leaving very little time for passengers to react. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, but officials suspect it might have originated from an electrical short circuit or friction in the engine area. Meanwhile, it is reported that both the bus driver and the cleaner fled from the scene soon after the accident. Police have launched a search to trace them and have initiated a detailed investigation into the tragedy.