The mystery surrounding the horrific Kurnool bus accident near Chinna Tekuru that claimed 19 lives has finally been unraveled. Police investigations have revealed that the fire which engulfed the Vemuri Kaveri Travels sleeper bus was not triggered by a direct collision with a motorcycle, as initially believed, but by a sequence of tragic events following a bike skidding accident.

According to Kurnool district police, Shiva Shankar, a resident of Prajanagar, and his friend Erriswami from Tuggali were traveling on a motorcycle from Lakshmipuram around 2 a.m. on Friday. CCTV footage from an HP petrol bunk near the Kia showroom confirmed they refueled ₹300 worth of petrol at 2:24 a.m. Shortly after resuming their journey toward Tuggali, their bike skidded and hit the road divider at high speed.

Shiva Shankar died instantly due to severe head injuries, while Erriswami escaped with minor bruises. In a desperate attempt to pull his friend and the fallen bike off the road, Erriswami found himself in the path of the oncoming Kaveri Travels bus. The bus, unable to notice the motorcycle lying across the lane in the dark, ran over it, dragging it several meters. Sparks flew upon impact, igniting the fuel tank and setting the vehicle ablaze. Within seconds, the inferno spread through the bus, trapping dozens of passengers.

Erriswami, terrified by the explosion and chaos, fled the scene and returned to his village. It was his statement to the police later that shed light on the real sequence of events, dispelling earlier reports that the bus had rammed a moving bike.

Kurnool SP Vikrant Patil confirmed that the primary cause of the accident was the bike skidding and not driver negligence. “The bike had already fallen on the road before the bus arrived. The Kaveri bus hit the stationary bike, causing the blaze,” he said. The SP added that forensic and transport department reports are awaited to determine additional factors, including the transport of nearly 250 mobile phones reportedly stored in the bus cargo.

“Cases have been registered against the bus drivers. Once the FSL and transport reports arrive, we will know whether the cargo contributed to the intensity of the fire,” the SP added.

The police also revealed that the post-mortem report of Shiva Shankar will confirm whether alcohol played any role in the incident. The ghastly fire claimed 19 lives and left 21 others injured, marking one of the deadliest road accidents in recent years in Andhra Pradesh. The state government has ordered a comprehensive review of highway safety measures and emergency response systems, particularly for night travel by private operators.

Meanwhile in Telangana, the Kurnool tragedy has prompted a massive statewide inspection drive by the Road Transport Authority (RTA). On Saturday, enforcement teams carried out surprise checks in Hyderabad, Rangareddy, and Medchal–Malkajgiri districts.

Violations ranging from overcrowding to the absence of fire safety equipment were recorded. By Saturday afternoon, officials had registered 68 cases, imposed ₹11.7 lakh in fines, and seized four buses.

RTA officials inspected buses along the Vijayawada and Bengaluru highways, checking for first aid kits, fire extinguishers, and emergency exits. At Gagan Pahad in Rajendranagar, officers seized a bus with a damaged windshield that continued operations despite being unfit for service. Another bus at LB Nagar was found carrying 29 passengers despite having approval for only 23 seats.

Between January 1 and October 25, Telangana authorities have seized 877 private vehicles and registered 8,848 cases, collecting over Rs. 2.28 crore in compounding fees and Rs. 14.68 crore in taxes and penalties.

The Kurnool bus tragedy underscores the urgent need for stricter safety protocols across both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. As both states step up their safety drives, the focus now turns to whether these measures will evolve into sustained, preventive reforms or fade once the memory of the tragedy begins to dim.

DNA profiling by Monday

The DNA profiling of victims of Andhra Pradesh bus fire accident will take 48 hours and is expected to be completed by October 27, said an official on Saturday.

Kurnool district collector A Siri said samples from 19 bodies were collected and sent to the Forensic Sciences Laboratory in Vijayawada.

"I am informed that it (DNA profiling) will take 48 hours. We are also arranging ambulances and vehicles that day so that as and when the results come we will transport those bodies to their respective places," Siri  said. Out of the 19 bodies, one could not be identified as no one claimed it, she said, while the DNA profiling will exactly match the bodies to its family members.

Relatives of 16 bodies have given their samples for the DNA profiling while two more are reaching Vijayawada today for this purpose, she said. According to Siri, bodies were completely charred beyond recognition and without doing DNA profiling their identity cannot be established correctly.

The flesh is completely charred and has become black and only the trunk part is left in most of the cases, she observed. Currently, all the bodies are being preserved in Kurnool Government General Hospital (GGH) and they will be handed over to their relatives once the DNA samples arrive, she said. A consignment of cell phones stocked in the luggage rack of the bus had aggravated the fire accident.

I have seen a few boxes of unburnt cell phones, said the collector. "The bus batteries, presence of flammable furnishings in the bus and the cargo consisting of cell phones aggravated the fire leading to the tragic event," Kurnool SP Vikrant Patel said in an earlier statement.