Skidded bike, exploding fuel tank, panicked driver: How events unfolded in Kurnool bus fire

Did My Best To Save Trapped Passengers, Says Bus Driver. 2 Buses Avoided Stricken Bike Moments Before: Pillion RiderHYDERABAD: Investigators probing the deadly bus accident that claimed 19 lives near Kurnool on Thursday night pieced together the sequence of events leading up to the disaster.

About 10 minutes after the bus crossed the petrol pump, the tragic accident occurred near Chinna Tekuru, about 3 km from the petrol station. Shiva Shankar’s body was found on the road divider near the charred bus.Police identified the pillion rider from CCTV footage and picked up Erri Swamy from his residence. Swamy told police that their bike had skidded a few minutes before the bus passed by and that he also witnessed the bus catch fire after hitting it.

“After filling petrol, they left the fuel station at 2.26 am. After three km, Shankar lost control and rammed into the road divider. He died on the spot. Swamy was hurled over the two-foot-high railing but suffered minor injuries as he landed in the bushes,” Kurnool SP Vikrant Patil said.Erri Swamy told police he realised his friend was dead and first dragged the body off the road. He said he tried to move the bike from the middle of the road but found it too heavy.

Swamy, according to police, said two other buses passed by before the Kaveri Travels bus but they managed to avoid the bike.Swamy said he fled in panic when the bus dragged the bike for some distance and caught fire. Kurnool police also took Swamy to the accident spot and completed a scene reconstruction.Meanwhile, bus driver Miryala Lakshmaiah, who was taken into custody on Friday evening, told police that he was driving at between 80 and 90 kmph when he ran over the bike.

He claimed he suddenly saw the bike, couldn’t control the bus, ran over it and continued driving without realising it was trapped beneath the bus. When the friction made the bike’s fuel tank explode, he stopped the bus. It was too late.Lakshmaiah claimed he tried to open the entry-exit door door as the flames raged, but found them jammed. He jumped out and broke the side and rear windows of the bus with a rod, which helped some passengers jump out. With the inferno quickly spreading and the bus turning into a huge ball of fire, Lakshmaiah said he panicked and ran away.