Diwali fervour ended in tragedy for two techies killed in Kurnool bus fire
The two, unrelated to each other, had boarded the ill-fated bus for Bengaluru on Thursday night after spending the Diwali holidays with their loved ones
For techies Gannamaneni Dhatri and Anusha Reddy, it must have been difficult 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 tragic bus fire in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool in the wee hours of Friday (October 24).
Also read: Kurnool bus fire leaves 20 dead: People perish in asleep, fully charred
Tragic end to festive fervour
The incident, which left several families shattered, has also plunged the families of two IT professionals into profound 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.
Also read: Kurnool bus fire: DNA tests underway for charred victims
Morning brought death
The bus the two women boarded met with an accident around 2:30 am, just after crossing Kurnool. It collided with an oncoming motorbike and dragged it for nearly 300 metres, leading to the fire. The friction caused the bike’s petrol tank to overheat, triggering a blaze. Flames from the tank spread to the bus engine, leading to the tragedy.
Also read: Kurnool bus fire: Woman killed with son after Deepavali visit to daughter
Since it was early morning, most passengers were fast asleep. Those who woke up to the smoke and flames tried to escape in panic. While some were fortunate enough to make it out in time, others were trapped and burned alive – including Gannamaneni and Anusha.
(This article was originally published in The Federal Andhra Pradesh)