Andhra Pradesh Bus Fire: 234 Smartphones Inside Bus Exploded Aggravating Blaze - Details Of Preliminary Probe

Kurnool: A preliminary probe in the Kurnool bus tragedy revealed that at the time of the blaze, there was reportedly a consignment of 234 mobile phones in the tragedy. Batteries of these phones exploded after the bus caught fire on Friday morning in Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool district. The bus was travelling to Bengaluru from Hyderabad when it caught fire.

Forensic experts believed that as the batteries of the 234 smartphones exploded, it further aggravated the blaze, reported NDTV. The entire consignment was reportedly worth Rs 46 lakh.

As per the report, it was being shipped by a Hyderabad-based businessman named Manganath. The businessman sent the parcel to an e-commerce company in Bengaluru, from where these mobile phones will be delivered to customers. As per eyewitnesses, they even heard batteries of these smartphones exploding.

The director-general of the Andhra Pradesh Fire Services Department, P Venkataraman, also highlighted that the electrical batteries of the air conditioning system of the bus also exploded. Aluminum sheets of the bus floor also reportedly melted due to the heat of the blaze. The fire started in the front portion of the bus, and it spread quickly.

Earlier in the day, CCTV footage of the biker, who was involved in the Kurnool bus fire, surfaced online. The clip captured the moments before the tragedy. The biker was reportedly in an inebriated state when he came to a petrol pump along with his friend. In the CCTV footage, it could be seen that the due waited at the petrol pump for some time.

According to reports, due to the biker's mistake, the bus caught fire. Officials confirmed to news agency ANI that the bike collided with the bus and got stuck beneath it, which led to the leakage of petrol, causing fire.

There were a total of 41 passengers travelling in the bus when it caught fire in the wee hours of Friday. At least 20 passengers died in the inferno.