“I woke to smoke and screams”: Bengaluru survivor recalls Kurnool bus tragedy

A 50-year-old farmer, narrowly escaped the Kurnool bus inferno that killed 19 passengers. Returning to Bengaluru after Diwali celebrations, Reddy recalled waking up around 2.30 am to thick smoke and chaos as passengers screamed and tried to escape.

Hyderabad: What was supposed to be a quiet, safe, and happy birthday journey back home in Bengaluru to meet his daughter, turned into a night of horror for this 50-year-old man who boarded the ill-fated Vemuri Kaveri Travels bus from JNTU Hyderabad to Bengaluru on Thursday night.

MG Rama Reddy, a farmer, who was in Hyderabad for Diwali celebrations had booked a berth on the rear side of the bus.

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Recalling the horrific moments before the accident with ‘Telangana Today‘, Reddy said he visited his brother-in-law’s home for Diwali and boarded the bus opposite JNTU-Hyderabad on Thursday around 9.20 pm.

“Later we were transferred to this bus at Balanagar Y-Junction. Around 10 pm, the bus stopped for people who wanted to use the restroom. Following this, I went to sleep in the last berth,” he said.

Later, chaos unfolded at Ulindakonda in Kurnool. “Suddenly, I woke from a deep sleep to loud sounds and there was thick black smoke in the bus. I could not comprehend what was happening. It was around 2.30 am,” he recounted.

According to Reddy, there was utter chaos and panic among the passengers. “People were screaming. Two individuals managed to break open a window and jumped outside. Someone pulled me out of the bus and I still do not know who it was,” he recalled.

A few passersby stopped and rushed several injured including Reddy in their Innova car to hospital for treatment.