Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, October 24, 2025— A terrible tragedy happened early Friday morning near Chinnatekur village in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool district when a private bus caught fire and killed at least 20 people. Local police say that 12 other passengers were able to get away from the fire with only minor injuries.
The event took place around 3:30 AM in the Kallur mandal, close to the edge of Kurnool city on National Highway 44. The bus, which was run by Kaveri Travels, was on its way from Hyderabad to Bengaluru with about 44 people on board when it hit a motorcycle.
“The two-wheeler got stuck under the bus and hit the fuel tank, which caused an explosion right away and flames spread quickly throughout the vehicle,” the police said.
Fire Engulfs Bus, Trapping Passengers
Most of the people on board were sleeping when the crash happened. A few people were woken up by the fire and shattered the windows to get out and rescue themselves. But many others were stuck inside since the flames quickly destroyed the whole vehicle.
Witnesses said they heard people screaming for help before the car was turned into a burned-out wreck. People from the area rushed to help the hurt people before the fire trucks got there. Firefighters from Kurnool sent four fire engines to put out the fire.
The injured passengers were quickly taken to the Kurnool Government General Hospital for treatment by rescue crews. The people who lived include Naveen Kumar, Akhil, Jasmitha, Akira, Ramesh, Jayasurya, Harika, Subrahmanyam, Ramireddy, Venugopal Reddy, Satyanarayana, and Srilakshmi. Early reports say that majority of the people on board were from Hyderabad.
It is alarming that the bus drivers are said to have left the site right after the accident. Police have opened a case and are looking for them.
Responses from officials and relief efforts
Top politicians sent their sympathies and took action right away after the awful loss of life:
President Droupadi Murmu said she was very sad and sent her deepest condolences to the relatives of the victims. She also prayed for the quick recovery of the injured.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who is now on an official trip to Dubai, said he was very sad. He urged the Chief Secretary and other high-ranking officials to hurry to the scene to oversee rescue and relief efforts. The CM told the hospitals to give the injured the greatest care possible and to help the families of the dead in whatever way they could. He also stressed how important it is to do a full inquiry to stop these kinds of catastrophes from happening and to keep the dead toll under control.
State Transport Minister Mandipalli Ramprasad Reddy quickly went to the scene of the accident to talk to local officials about what was going on. He told them to make sure the injured got the best medical care possible and to step up rescue efforts.
Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, the former Chief Minister and president of the YSRCP, also said he was very sad and asked the government to give the families of the victims a lot of money and help right now.
Investigation Underway Police are looking into what caused the disaster. At first, they thought it might have been careless driving that caused the fuel to leak and start the fire. Forensic teams have been sent to the scene to figure out who the burned bodies belong to, and DNA tests will be done if needed. The incident has made both Kurnool and Hyderabad very sad. Family members are waiting for official word on their loved ones.