Kurnool bus fire: How drunken biker crash triggered inferno that claimed 19 lives
The special teams found that Nani alias Eriswamy and his friend Shivshankar — were travelling on the route from Kurnool city when the tragic bus accident occurred
By - Sri Lakshmi Muttevi
Kurnool: The horrific accident in which 19 passengers were burnt alive after a Vemuri Kaveri Travels bus caught fire on the outskirts of Kurnool early Friday morning has been traced to a shocking cause — a drunken two-wheeler rider.
Speaking to NewsMeter Kurnool Superintendent of Police, Vikrant Patil said, the fire was triggered when a speeding bus ran over a motorcycle that was already lying on the national highway after its rider, identified as Sivashankar, lost control and crashed into a divider while driving under the influence of alcohol.
The timeline of how the motorcycle resulted in the bus crash
The special teams found that two youngsters — Nani alias Eriswamy and his friend Shivshankar — were travelling on the route from Kurnool city towards Dhone when the tragic bus accident occurred. While Shivshankar was riding the bike, Nani sat pillion.
The two started from Nani’s house at Laxmipuram after 2:20 am. The duo had food in a dhaba and had admitted to consuming liquor. They stopped by a petrol bunk and headed for Dhone. Nearly 200 metres before the accident spot, the bike skidded on the road, throwing off both riders.
Police found that Sivashankar had refuelled his black Pulsar bike at the HP petrol pump opposite the Kia showroom around 2 am on Friday. CCTV footage showed that he appeared visibly intoxicated, staggering as he walked to call the fuel station staff. After filling petrol, he left the station at high speed towards Dhone.
The bike crash occurred before the collision with the bus
"Sivashankar lost control near the highway divider, resulting in a severe crash. Sivashankar died on the spot, while he sustained minor injuries. As he tried to move the fallen bike off the road, an oncoming bus struck it, and it dragged the motorcycle for nearly 200 meters. The friction caused sparks that ignited the vehicle, engulfing the entire bus in flames," told Kurnool SP speaking to NewsMeter.
Initially, investigators believed that Sivashankar had died after being hit by the bus. However, fresh CCTV evidence and Erriswamy’s testimony confirmed that the accident sequence began with the bike crash.
Speaking to NewsMeter, one of the investigators revealed that the Vemuri Kaveri Travels bus driver could not spot the two-wheeler lying on the highway from a distance due to its black color and the poor visibility caused by rain.
“If the pillion rider Eriswamy had moved the bike off the road immediately after the accident, this tragic accident could have been avoided. The incident occurred due to the negligence of both — the bus driver, who failed to notice the vehicle in time, and the motorcyclist, who was driving under the influence of alcohol,” the investigating officer said.
