In a tragic incident on Wednesday, 44 passengers traveling from Hyderabad to Bangalore by an overnight bus were burnt to death when the fuel tank exploded.
Besides the driver and the cleaner, only five passengers survived the accident. All the passengers have been charred beyond recognition and the families have to depend on DNA to find their loved ones.
Heart wrenching scenes unfolded on the Bangalore- Hyderabad highway as grieving relatives reached the spot where the bus burned to the ground.
The Volvo bus was on its way from Hyderabad to Bangalore when it hit a divider and caught flames around 5:15 am on Wednesday. The bus was reportedly trying to overtake a car when it lost control. It's fuel tank reportedly explodezd. Officials say it took less than a minute for the entire vehicle to be engulfed in flames.
"The automatic locking system is there for these vehicles. The driver apparently did not understand the mechanism and opened the door. Had he opened the door, perhaps some people have escaped," District Collector Mahbubnagar Girija Shankar said.
The driver and the cleaner who survived, have been taken into custody. The police have said that a case of negligent and driving resulting in death has been registered against them. The two have claimed that a tyre burst caused the accident. However, the owners have denied any lapses.
"As far as the vehicle is concerned, there was no problem with the vehicle, all documents are perfect, the road permit, authorization, fitness cart, all have been issued. The vehicle was in proper running condition and proper service was being done for the vehicle," co-owner of the travel agency running the vehicle Jabbar Travels, Bangalore, Jameel Jabbar, said.
The bodies of the passengers that have been unidentified will be kept in Osmania hospital in Hyderabad. So far only 3 to four bodies have been identified.
As families struggle to recognize their loved ones here, officials say forensic analysis and DNA matching could take a week or more. It is a tragedy that has worsened by lack of accountability when it comes to thriving private travel operators.
Besides the driver and the cleaner, only five passengers survived the accident. All the passengers have been charred beyond recognition and the families have to depend on DNA to find their loved ones.
Heart wrenching scenes unfolded on the Bangalore- Hyderabad highway as grieving relatives reached the spot where the bus burned to the ground.
The Volvo bus was on its way from Hyderabad to Bangalore when it hit a divider and caught flames around 5:15 am on Wednesday. The bus was reportedly trying to overtake a car when it lost control. It's fuel tank reportedly explodezd. Officials say it took less than a minute for the entire vehicle to be engulfed in flames.
"The automatic locking system is there for these vehicles. The driver apparently did not understand the mechanism and opened the door. Had he opened the door, perhaps some people have escaped," District Collector Mahbubnagar Girija Shankar said.
The driver and the cleaner who survived, have been taken into custody. The police have said that a case of negligent and driving resulting in death has been registered against them. The two have claimed that a tyre burst caused the accident. However, the owners have denied any lapses.
"As far as the vehicle is concerned, there was no problem with the vehicle, all documents are perfect, the road permit, authorization, fitness cart, all have been issued. The vehicle was in proper running condition and proper service was being done for the vehicle," co-owner of the travel agency running the vehicle Jabbar Travels, Bangalore, Jameel Jabbar, said.
The bodies of the passengers that have been unidentified will be kept in Osmania hospital in Hyderabad. So far only 3 to four bodies have been identified.
As families struggle to recognize their loved ones here, officials say forensic analysis and DNA matching could take a week or more. It is a tragedy that has worsened by lack of accountability when it comes to thriving private travel operators.
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