At least 20 people have died after a bus caught fire after colliding with a motorcycle in southern India, police said.
The incident occurred early Friday near Kurnool city in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.
“Eleven bodies have been identified and nine are yet to be identified,” said local police officer Vikrant Patil. “Some of the bodies are badly burnt.”
Concerns about public transportation safety
Police said the motorcycle hit the bus from behind and got stuck under its fuel tank, causing an explosion and engulfing the vehicle in flames.
“As soon as the smoke started spreading, the driver stopped the bus and tried to extinguish the fire using a fire extinguisher, but the fire was so severe that he could not control it,” Patil said.
Eighteen passengers escaped, some by breaking windows, but many were sleeping when the fire broke out. Police also suspect that the jammed door could be the reason for such a high number of deaths.
This is the second fatal bus fire in India in recent weeks. The Kurnool incident comes less than two weeks after 19 people were killed in a fire in a private bus in the western desert state of Rajasthan.
Reacting to Friday’s accident, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said it “raised serious questions” about the safety of India’s public transport system.
“Passenger safety is the top priority and it is necessary to ensure accountability for these incidents along with responsibility for vehicle maintenance,” Gandhi posted on Twitter.
Officials have started investigating the incident.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed condolences to the families of the victims.
He announced compensation of 200,000 Indian rupees ($2,280 or €1,964) for the families of the dead and 50,000 Indian rupees ($563) for the injured.
Edited by: Richard Connor