16 violations, unpaid fines: How Andhra bus blaze snuffed out 20 lives after Diwali gala

This is a Diwali that many families want to forget.

For many passengers killed in a fire in the ill-fated private bus on the Hyderabad-Bengaluru Highway on Friday (October 24), death struck without a warning.

Several passengers were fast asleep and died without even realising what was happening when the Bengaluru-bound bus caught fire around 3 am after an accident involving a motorcycle, leaving 20 dead on the spot. Most victims were charred beyond recognition. The blaze completely gutted the sleeper bus, reducing it to a metal skeleton.

Horrendous night

Only a few, jolted awake by the flames, managed to break the windows and escape through the emergency exit. Many survivors are yet to come out of the horrendous experience. Some did share what exactly happened, recalling tense moments leading to their miraculous escape, even while suffering broken limbs and other minor injuries. Only a few, jolted awake by the flames, managed to break the windows and escape through the emergency exit.

Two techies from working in Bengaluru killed

For techies Gannamaneni Dhatri and Anusha Reddy, it must have been tough to bid adieu to loved ones and head to the workplace for the daily grind after basking in the festive fervour of Diwali holidays. But little did they know that it would be their final farewell. The two, unrelated to each other yet united in death, were among the 20 people who were killed in the accident.

Also Read: Kurnool bus tragedy: Surge in sleeper fire accidents triggers call for nationwide ban

The accident, which left several families shattered, has also plunged the families of two IT professionals into grief. Gannamaneni, 27, a resident of Pusapadu village in Yeddanapudi Mandal of Andhra Pradesh’s Bapatla district, was working as a software engineer in Bengaluru. She had come to Hyderabad to celebrate Diwali at her maternal uncle’s house. After celebrating the festival with his family, she boarded the bus back to Bengaluru on Thursday (October 23) night.

Anusha, a resident of Vatsagondur village in Gundala Mandal in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district of Telangana, had also come home for Diwali holidays. She had boarded the bus from Khairatabad in Hyderabad on Thursday night after celebrating the festival with her family. However, fate had other plans for them.

Four of a family killed; DNA tests underway

So far, 14 of the deceased have been identified. As the faces of the remaining victims are unrecognizable, experts have reached Kurnool to conduct DNA tests for identification. Those among the survivors are: Ramireddy, Venugopal Reddy, Satyanarayana, Srilakshmi, Naveen Kumar, Akhil, Jashmitha, Akira, Ramesh, Jayasurya, and Subrahmanyam. Naveen from Hindupur transported six injured passengers to the Kurnool hospital in his car. Haima Reddy, who was traveling from Puttaparthi to Hyderabad, stopped upon seeing the bus on fire. After she alerted the police, they reached the scene immediately and initiated rescue efforts.

Four members of the same family from Gollavaripalli in Nellore district were killed. The victims have been identified as G Ramesh (35), his wife Anusha (32), and their children Yashwanth (8) and Manvita (6). The family, residing in Bengaluru, was going back after Diwali celebrations.

Forensic doctors and officials undertook the DNA procedure to identify the victims.

Survivor explains harrowing time

Akash, who escaped by jumping out through the emergency exit, described how the accident unfolded. Having come to Hyderabad for Deepavali and boarding the bus to return to Bengaluru, Akash said: “There was a sudden loud noise in the bus. When I jumped up in shock, I saw huge flames. I immediately smashed the window and jumped out. Two others also jumped out along with me.”

Nellore-based S Harika said, ''When I woke up, I saw fire engulfing the bus, which spread within seconds. A passenger broke the rear door and we all jumped out and in the melee, I suffered a minor injury on the forehead," she said. An IT employee, Harika is now under observation in a hospital.

Harika said that she works for an IT company in Chennai, Tamil Nadu and is a native of Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh. She was travelling from Hyderabad to Bengaluru for some personal work.

Some missing, with phones switched off

Several passengers managed to save themselves by leaping out of the burning bus. Among them was Gunasai, who had boarded at Suraram with a companion. While Gunasai’s survival was confirmed, his companion remained untraceable, and his phone had been switched off, leaving his family in deep distress. Three others had boarded the ill-fated vehicle. Of them, one was confirmed alive, while the whereabouts of the remaining two remained unknown as of the latest reports, and their phones were also unreachable.

The injured were taken to the Kurnool government hospital for treatment. Officials said some of the missing passengers might still be alive, stressing that switched-off or unreachable phones should not be interpreted as evidence of death. They noted that mobile devices could have been left behind in the burning vehicle, destroyed in the fire, or simply run out of battery.

Bus had 16 traffic violations

The bus that was reduced to a skeleton had violated traffic rules and been fined for over-speeding and dangerous driving. Preliminary investigations revealed that at least 16 traffic violation-related challans had been issued against the vehicle. The private bus is owned by Vemuri Kaveri Travels. According to the Andhra Pradesh Transport Department, the bus bearing registration number DD01 N9490 was registered under Kaveri Travels on May 2, 2018, in Daman and Diu. Between January 27, 2024, and October 9, 2025, 16 traffic challans were issued in Telangana. These included nine instances of entering no-entry zones, as well as violations for speeding and dangerous driving. A total of Rs 23,120 in fines remains unpaid.

Despite these violations, the bus held a valid tourist permit until April 30, 2030, a fitness certificate valid until March 31, 2027, and insurance coverage until April 20, 2026, according to the transport officials.

Systemic failure, oversight..list of woes is long

Another massive road tragedy points to issues of regulation, oversight, enforcement, and corruption. The Kurnool bus accident has exposed the loopholes in the transport department. Under the guise of an All-India Permit, private bus operators often play with passengers’ lives. While the ill-fated Vemuri Kaveri Travels bus was registered in Diu & Daman with an All-India Permit, alterations and fitness certification were done in Rayagada, Odisha.

In the alteration process, Rayagada authorities issued seating permission. However, later, Kaveri Travels took permission for 43 seats and then converted the bus into a sleeper coach.

Also Read: Kurnool bus fire: Deluxe vehicle had 16 traffic violations, say cops

Time we banned sleeper buses?

In just one week, three major bus fires were reported across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana — including a wedding party bus in Tirupati and a school bus in Hyderabad. Nationally, several similar incidents this year — from Rajasthan to Bihar — have left dozens dead and many injured.

Experts cite flammable interiors, faulty wiring, poor maintenance, and blocked emergency exits as key causes. Most sleeper buses lack basic safety equipment like fire extinguishers or hammers to break windows, making escape nearly impossible once a fire starts.

Despite repeated warnings and calls for reform, authorities have failed to act decisively. China banned sleeper buses in 2012 after similar tragedies, but in India, they continue to operate unchecked. Transport experts and passenger associations are now urging a nationwide ban on sleeper buses, calling them death traps on wheels.

The same old apathy story

There are longstanding credible allegations that some RTOs and local officials sanction private interstate bus operations with minimal scrutiny in exchange for bribes or favours. Permits may be issued without complete verification of vehicle maintenance records, driver fitness, or route-specific risk audits. The recurrence of high-mortality bus fires in the same region (remember, the 2013 Mahabubnagar blaze on the same highway that killed 45) suggests not just bad luck, but apparent systemic failure.

As is wont, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu ordered a comprehensive inquiry. He conducted a video conference with Minister Mandipalli Ramprasad Reddy and senior officials. The CM issued orders for fitness, safety, and permit inspections of private buses. He also instructed that technical inspections of buses be undertaken in all districts. He warned that if negligence is found to be the cause of the accident, strict action is inevitable. He sought a full report on the registration, fitness, and permit details of the private bus involved in the accident.

For the victims travelling for work or family visits, the consequences are irreparable. Behind every statistic lies a story of political apathy and corruption. After every such big accident, governments issue such orders and go for a clampdown for a week or so, but as days go by, it is back to square one or the road.