Nandyal: Three people lost their lives after a private bus and a container lorry caught fire in Andhra Pradesh's Nandyal district in the wee hours of Thursday (January 22). According to reports, the blaze engulfed the bus and the container lorry following a head-on collision between 1 and 2 am near Shirivellametta village in Shirivella mandal of the district.
A dramatic video of the huge flames billowing out from the bus surfaced online. Several people were also injured in the blaze. Both the drivers of the vehicles and the cleaner of the container truck were charred to death, reported IANS, citing officials.
Dramatic Visuals From The Spot:
The bus was travelling from Nellore to Hyderabad with 36 passengers on board when one of its tyres reportedly burst. Due to the tyre burst, the driver of the bus lost control. The bus crossed the road divider and rammed into the container lorry coming from the other direction.
The collision led to the fire as flames engulfed both the vehicles. As per officials, all the passengers of the bus escaped, with some sustaining minor injuries. The bus driver, its cleaner and the lorry driver were reportedly killed in the accident.
"Tonight, roughly between 1:00 a.m. and 1:40 a.m., a private bus travelling from Nellore to Hyderabad met with a serious accident. The front right tyre of the private bus burst, causing the bus to cross the road divider and move onto the opposite side of the road, where it collided with an oncoming lorry," said the Nandyal district's Superintendent of Police, Suneel Sheoran, as quoted by IANS.
"However, all passengers, except three, on the bus are safe. Every passenger was able to disembark safely," the SP added. After the incident, locals and officials rushed to the spot. As the front and emergency door of the bus failed to open, passengers were reportedly trapped inside the vehicle for a brief period of time, creating panic among them.
Notably, authorities are investigating the cause of the fire. They are examining whether the fire was caused directly by the collision or due to any battery-related issues.
