A woman was charred to death after a bus in which she was travelling from Hyderabad in Telangana to Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh caught fire in Jogulamba Gadwal district on Saturday. Four others who suffered injuries were shifted to hospitals for treatment. Overall, 30 passengers were onboard the bus and the remaining passengers escaped unhurt.
The incident took place around 2.30 AM on the Hyderabad-Bangalore national highway near Erravalli crossroads.
The privately-owned bus en route from Hyderabad reportedly overturned and suddenly caught fire. Most passengers escaped from the bus by breaking glass windows and jumping out of the vehicle. However, a woman was unable to escape the flames and she was charred.
Sub-inspector, Itikyal police station, Ashok said, "One person died after a fire broke out in a private bus early this morning at Beechupally in Jogulamba Gadwal district."
Additionally, four passengers sustained injuries. Of the four passengers, three were shifted to a hospital in Gadwal while the fourth passenger was taken to Hyderabad.
Based on the information, the police immediately reached the spot and deployed a fire tender to extinguish the flames. However, the bus was entirely gutted by the fire.
The preliminary police investigations have revealed that the driver may have fallen asleep leading to the accident.
The police have registered a case and an investigation is underway.
ALSO READ: Debris Of Missing IAF Aircraft Traced In Bay Of Bengal After Eight Years
Last year, Telangana witnessed a dip in the number of road accidents, according to a report released by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. The numbers declined from 22,230 accidents in 2018 to 21,619 accidents in 2022 in the state.