Andhra bus fire: Smartphones worth ₹46 lakh inside Kurnool bus worsened blaze that killed 20

The Bengaluru-bound private sleeper bus caught fire in the wee hours of Friday after reportedly hitting a two-wheeler and catching fire at National Highway 44 (NH-44) in Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool.

Forensic experts have indicated that the batteries of these smartphones exploded, intensifying the fire that engulfed the vehicle and claimed 19 lives, according to an NDTV report.

Smartphones worth ₹46 lakh

The shipment of 234 smartphones, valued at ₹46 lakh, belonged to a Hyderabad-based businessman, Manganath.

The parcel was being sent to an e-commerce company in Bengaluru, from where the devices would be dispatched to customers.

Eyewitnesses recalled hearing several explosions as the phones caught fire.

‘Initial blaze started due to fuel leakage’

P Venkataraman, director-general of the Andhra Pradesh Fire Services Department, said that apart from the smartphone batteries, the electrical batteries used for the bus’s air conditioning system also burst during the fire.

According to him, the heat was so extreme that it melted the aluminium sheets lining the bus floor.

He added that the fire likely began in the front section due to a fuel leak.

A motorcycle had become lodged under the bus, and a combination of petrol splatter and heat—or possibly a spark—triggered the blaze that rapidly consumed the entire vehicle.

Survivor recount horror

The survivors, many of whom broke open the window to survive, recounted the horror.

According to the police and the survivors, the bus had hit the two-wheeler, which got trapped under the larger vehicle and hit its fuel tank, causing the explosion.

Twenty, including the two-wheeler driver, died.

Based on the complaints of the survivors, a case of negligence and overspeed has been registered against the two drivers.

Siva Narayana, who was the second driver, was taken into custody but Lakshmaiah, who was driving the bus, fled the spot.

The mystery over the accident grew after Siva changed his statement.

Though initially Siva claimed the bus had hit the two-wheeler amid heavy rain that had reduced the visibility, he later changed his statement, saying Lakshmaiah unknowingly ran over the two-wheeler and its rider, who was lying there on the road due to a previous accident.

The bus, which was almost reduced to ashes, has a record of multiple challans for flouting several rules as well as dangerous driving.

Venkataraman described the horrifying aftermath at the site.

“We saw bones and ash dropping through the melted sheets,” revealing the devastating scale of the tragedy.

He also pointed out a critical flaw in the bus’s design.

The use of lightweight aluminium in place of iron—meant to reduce the vehicle’s weight and increase its speed—ultimately worsened the impact of the accident and contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.