"We Saw Her Off At Bus Stand": Andhra Bus Fire Leaves Families Devastated

The air around Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool bus accident site is thick, not just with the stench of smoke, but with the palpable grief of shattered families. The devastating fire that consumed the ill-fated bus has turned young dreams into cinders, leaving behind heartbreaking scenes of despair and rage.

At the heart of the tragedy is the story of 23-year-old Anusha, a bright light whose future was tragically cut short. Anusha had secured a coveted job in Bengaluru last year, a source of pride that now haunts her parents.

"How I wish my daughter never got that job in Bengaluru," wailed Anusha's father, his voice raw with regret. He and his wife are inconsolable, recounting their last moments with their daughter.

"We saw off my daughter at the bus stand," the father sobbed, a routine farewell now turned into a lifelong nightmare. 

Her mother's pain is equally sharp. "I had told my daughter to extend her stay," she whispered, the simple request becoming a desperate 'what if.' Anusha, who had come home for Diwali and was on her way back, was a victim of a journey that should have been safe.

Another family's world has collapsed with the loss of their son Meghnath, who had just begun his career in Bengaluru five months ago. His mother arrived at the site, eyes wide with disbelief, refusing to accept the reality. "My son cannot go away like this," she cried, before collapsing in a fresh wave of despair. "How will I live without my son?" she wailed.

From his hospital bed, survivor Guna Sai, a frequent traveller on the route, recounted the terrifying minutes of the inferno. "It was dark and smokey," he recalled, detailing the chaos. "I don't know how many of us managed to survive," he told NDTV.

His testimony paints a damning picture of negligence. "I jumped from the window to escape the fire," he said, revealing the desperate measure he took. Guna Sai confirms the lack of emergency provisions, "I saw no hammer to break the glass."

"The driver did not help," Guna Sai said. "We tried to break the glass from inside but finally someone probably broke it from the outside, helping us to escape," he said.

His words echo the public's bitter sentiment, "Safety is spoken about only after the accident. Everyone has a short memory regarding safety."

Responding to the tragedy, Telangana Minister Jupally Krishna Rao did not mince words. He laid the blame squarely on those responsible. "The driver and the travel agency are to blame," the Minister asserted, demanding strict action. "They should be made to pay for it," he stated, signalling a firm approach to compensation and punishment.

Kurnool SP Vikrant has begun an in-depth investigation to determine the exact cause and sequence of the fire. The official findings of "what really happened" are awaited, but for the families of Anusha and Meghnath, no explanation can ever bring back the lives, and the future, that were stolen from them.