More information is coming out from the gruesome private bus inferno along National Highway 44 near Kurnool, where an investigation indicates that a huge consignment of phones within the vehicle might have heavily fueled the same deadly blaze which left a minimum of 20 dead on Friday morning.
The Bengaluru-bound bus, which had 44 passengers, was gutted beyond recognition following a collision with a motorcycle.
Exploding Batteries and an Enormous Consignment
As per reports by the media citing forensic experts, the bus was clandestinely carrying a commercial consignment of 234 Realme phones worth ₹46 lakh (about $55,000 USD).
The report suggests that the heat and ensuing exploding lithium-ion batteries in this bulk consignment probably added to the intense fierceness and speedy propagation of the blaze. The phones were allegedly being transported as a parcel by a Hyderabad entrepreneur, Manganath, and were headed for the online retailer Flipkart in Bengaluru.
Sequence of Disaster and High Casualties
The horrific accident started in the wee hours of Friday when the private bus rammed into a motorcycle at the outskirts of Kurnool city.
Collision and Ignition: The motorcycle was dragged below the bus, which hit the fuel tank, causing an instant inferno.
Passengers Stranded: The majority of the passengers were sleeping when fire broke out. Adding to the tragedy, the door of the bus allegedly got stuck because of a short circuit.
Rescue: Since the main door got jammed, only around 20 of the passengers escaped by shattering the windows of the bus.
Negligence Case Filed; Statements of Driver Raised Eyebrows
Police have launched an investigation into the disaster, registering a case of rash driving and overspeeding on the complaint of a survivor, N. Ramesh, who blamed the drivers for rash driving.
While one of the two drivers, Siva Narayana (30), was greeted by some as having supposedly saved numerous passengers, he was now arrested after police claimed he had been giving contradicting statements. The driver who was indeed driving at the time of the accident, Lakshmaiah, left the scene immediately after the crash.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: ZEE News
