20 people have died in a horrific bus accident in Kurnool district, which includes 19 bus passengers and bike riders. Andhra Pradesh Police said on Saturday that the fire broke out due to the explosion of two 12 KV batteries in the accident bus, which became the main reason for this terrible accident.
According to the police, the accident happened on Friday when a private sleeper bus going from Hyderabad to Bengaluru hit a bike driven recklessly. After the collision, the bike got dragged under the bus, due to which its fuel tank burst and caught fire.
Kurnool Range DIG Koya Praveen said that the main cause of the fire was two 12 KV batteries of the bus located behind the main exit, which burst. He also said that the bus was carrying highly flammable substances, such as metallic paint, which further fueled the fire.
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Initial reports suggest that the fire spread rapidly due to the large quantity of smartphones and batteries on board the bus. According to forensic experts, the bus contained 234 smartphones worth around Rs 46 lakh, which were being transported by a businessman through a logistics service. Officials said that after the fire, lithium-ion batteries inside the equipment exploded, causing the fire to spread rapidly in the passenger cabin.
Experts from Andhra Pradesh Fire Service and Forensic Department have also confirmed in a report that the fire was fueled by a consignment of smartphones and the battery pack of the bus. However, DIG Koya Praveen told news agency PTI that the main cause of the fire was the bus’s two 12 KV batteries and not the smartphone consignment, and added that they were almost completely safe.
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further testing
There were a total of 44 passengers on board the bus, many of whom managed to escape the fire. The bus driver and additional driver have been taken into custody by the police. The bus driver had escaped the fire by jumping from the passenger door.
Fire officials said the aluminum floor of the bus melted in the heat, making the situation worse. DNA profiling is being done to identify the burnt bodies, a process which is expected to be completed by Monday.