AP: Anitha Confirms 19 People, Including 2 Children, Died in Kurnool Bus Tragedy
Speaking at a media briefing at the Vyasa Auditorium in Kurnool along with Minister Ram Prasad Reddy, she said the ill-fated bus was carrying 39 adults, four children, and one unidentified person
Kurnool: Andhra Pradesh Home Minister Anitha on Thursday confirmed that 19 people lost their lives in the tragic bus accident in Kurnool district. Among the deceased were two children. She said the victims included six from Andhra Pradesh, six from Telangana, one each from Odisha and Bihar, and two each from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. One body is yet to be identified.
Speaking at a media briefing at the Vyasa Auditorium in Kurnool along with Minister Ram Prasad Reddy, she said the ill-fated bus was carrying 39 adults, four children, and one unidentified person. Of them, 27 people, including two drivers, managed to escape the blaze. Twelve persons with minor injuries are undergoing treatment in hospitals.
A case has been registered, and an investigation is underway. The driver has been taken into custody and is being questioned. “Based on the driver’s preliminary statement, we are probing the possible causes of the accident,” Anitha said, adding that most of the bodies were charred beyond recognition. The government will hand over the bodies to the families after DNA identification, she added.
Sixteen special teams have been constituted to carry out a detailed probe from all angles — including 10 teams for DNA testing, four for investigating the cause of the mishap, and two for chemical analysis.
Minister Ram Prasad Reddy announced an ex gratia of ₹5 lakh for the families of the deceased and ₹2 lakh for the injured.
Kurnool SP Vikrant Patil said both drivers were in police custody. “The driver stated that the bus caught fire after hitting a bike that had fallen on the road, possibly from an earlier accident. The investigation is underway from all possible angles,” he said.
