- Negligent riding by a drunk biker likely caused the bus fire in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh
- The biker appeared drunk in CCTV footage shortly before crashing into the luxury bus
- The bus caught fire after the crash, killing 19 passengers who were asleep and the biker
The investigation into the tragic bus fire in Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool that claimed 20 lives early Friday morning has taken a new turn with a viral video capturing the dead motorcyclist's suspicious behaviour shortly before the crash. CCTV footage suggests B Shiva Shankar, 22, was riding recklessly, perhaps under the influence, shortly before he rammed into the private luxury bus on NH-44.
The private bus, belonging to V Kaveri Travels, burst into flames after the collision, dragging Shiva Shankar's motorcycle around 200 meters. Preliminary reports confirmed that friction and fuel leakage from the bike ignited the massive fire.
Telangana minister Jupally Krishna Rao has blamed the bus driver and the travel agency for the crash. Both drivers, Laxmaiah and Siva Narayana, have been arrested and charged with negligent driving.
The newly surfaced footage showed the biker arriving at a petrol pump with a pillion at 2:23 am. There was no attendant there. The man riding pillion then walked away from the frame, likely to find someone to refuel their vehicle. The biker too got off and went around the petrol pump, the footage showed.
Left frustrated, he even screamed at one point before turning his bike around on its side stand. He then rode away from the petrol pump, struggling to maintain balance on the two-wheeler.
Sources indicate that his actions appeared erratic, leading the cops to suspect that he may have been riding under the influence of alcohol or other substances.
Around 3-3:30 am, the crash occurred near Ullindakonda. The bus that was travelling from Hyderabad to Bengaluru with 46 people on board caught fire right after, trapping 19 passengers who were asleep. There were 27 survivors who managed to break windows and jump out of the burning bus.
The pillion rider is now in police custody. The cops are now interrogating him to draw up a sequence of the events that led to the tragedy and ascertain if the biker was tipsy. The biker's viscera samples have been sent for forensic examination to confirm the presence of alcohol, which could significantly alter the direction of the probe into the drivers' negligence.
Investigators are focused on two primary scenarios regarding the collision, compounded by heavy rain and darkness at that time.
The Multiple Scenarios Being Explored
It is also possible that the motorcyclist met with an accident earlier, and the bus driver failed to spot it in the dark and rain, unwittingly dragging the motorcycle for 200 metres which caused sparks, fuel ignition, and subsequent explosion. The crash could have also occurred due to the biker's reckless riding.
Beyond the immediate cause, multiple agencies, including the transport department, are also scrutinising the operations and safety credentials of the private bus operator.
They have revealed significant regulatory red flags, including that the bus was originally registered in Daman and Diu and reportedly re-registered in Odisha last year. It is being probed if this was a tactic to circumvent higher taxes and stricter scrutiny in other states where the bus primarily operated.
The authorities also suspect that the sleeper coach was illegally converted from a standard seater bus. Such conversions often fail to meet mandatory safety norms regarding the number of emergency exits, gangway width, and overall structural integrity, severely hindering passenger escape during a fire.
Survivors have told NDTV that basic emergency tools, such as the mandatory mini hammer designed for breaking windows during an emergency, were not available or accessible, trapping the passengers in the burning vehicle.
A high-level committee comprising police, transport, and revenue officials has been constituted to conduct a thorough investigation into all these angles, ensuring accountability for the tragic loss of lives.
