It was a life-and-death situation: Survivor recounts horror of Kurnool bus fire

I wouldn’t have made it if that emergency window hadn’t opened, said 27-year-old Jayant Kushwaha, one of the passengers who escaped alive from the burning luxury bus that caught fire near Chinnatekuru village in Kurnool district early on Friday, October 24, 2025.

Over 25 passengers were reportedly charred to death and several others injured when the private bus travelling from Hyderabad to Bengaluru went up in flames after a collision.

Speaking to The Hindu from about 10 kilometres outside Kurnool, Jayant recounted the terrifying moments inside the AC sleeper coach carrying around 42 people, including the driver.

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“I was travelling alone, heading back to work in Bengaluru,” he said. “My family lives in Hyderabad. I had come home for Diwali on the 20th of October and was supposed to stay longer, but I left early to attend a friend’s wedding in Bengaluru on Sunday.”

He said the bus had its last washroom break around 12:30 am. “At around 2:30 am, the bus suddenly came to a halt. I didn’t realise what was happening at first. There was panic everywhere as people began to wake up. It was then we saw the fire. The main door was jammed.”

Passengers later learnt that the driver had rammed into a two-wheeler and dragged the rider under the vehicle, triggering the blaze. “The front and left side of the bus caught fire. When the main door didn’t open, I went for the rear emergency exit. With a lot of effort, punching, hitting it with my shoulder and head, we managed to break the window in the back, which was about eight or nine feet above the ground. I threw my carry-on bag which had my laptop out and jumped. Around nine or ten others jumped too. Many sustained injuries as they landed. The driver who caused the crash escaped, as did the second driver. Around 19 or 20 of us survived,” he said.

Jayant said by around 9.30 a.m., about eleven passengers were taken to hospital, while a few others with minor injuries hitchhiked towards Hyderabad or Bengaluru. “The ambulance and fire trucks came after nearly an hour, around 2:30 or 3 am. Thankfully, a policewoman who happened to be passing by in her private vehicle stopped and called for help. The fire was finally put out by about 4:30 am. We gave our statements to the police.”

He said he did not immediately call his family. “After everything was over, I called home and told them. My father was about to leave for Indore by train. He asked if he should cancel the trip. They were worried. I wasn’t seriously injured, just a few bruises on my hand. Initially I only told my dad because my mum would have panicked,” he said.

Jayant, who frequently travels between Hyderabad and Bengaluru, said he had used the same bus service many times. “Maybe the bus was old,” he added. “It looked old. The emergency window, the driver’s cabin, everything was jammed.”

Passengers seated behind the driver later told him that the driver initially tried to douse the flames using sand but eventually fled the scene. “The second driver was taken to the hospital for treatment,” he said.