By_shalini oraon
the many tragedies that can befall a long-distance bus journey in India, fire is perhaps the most feared. It is swift, merciless, and offers little chance of escape. The Kurnool bus tragedy of October 2023, which claimed 20 lives and left many others critically injured, was a catastrophic demonstration of this very fear. It was not a simple traffic accident; it was a cascade of failures—a perfect storm of a minor incident, a lethal design flaw, and a desperate lack of time—that culminated in an inferno on the Hyderabad-Bengaluru highway.
The sequence of events, as pieced together from survivor accounts and preliminary investigations, reads like a chilling script of doom. The bus, operated by the Orange Tourists travel agency, was carrying over 40 passengers, many of whom were asleep, on an overnight journey. In the pre-dawn hours, as the bus traversed the Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh, the driver attempted to overtake a motorcycle. The margins were thin, the judgment perhaps flawed. In that critical moment, the bus sideswiped the two-wheeler.
This initial impact, seemingly minor in the context of highway collisions, was the catalyst. The motorcycle was knocked to the ground, its rider fortunate to survive the initial hit. But for the bus, the real danger had just begun. The friction or the force of the collision sheared off the bus’s fuel tank cap, located on the side of the vehicle. In an instant, the sealed system containing hundreds of litres of diesel was breached.
What followed was a scene of horrifying physics. Diesel, which is less volatile than petrol but still highly combustible, began to gush out onto the hot asphalt. The highway itself became a fuel slick. Investigators believe that the source of ignition was likely the bus’s own exhaust system or hot engine components. As the diesel vaporised and met this intense heat, it ignited. The flames did not start with a small flicker; they erupted, racing along the trail of fuel directly back to its source—the open, gushing fuel tank.
The bus, now a moving torch, travelled a short, terrifying distance before the driver, realizing the magnitude of the disaster, brought it to a halt. But those few seconds were the difference between life and death. By the time the vehicle stopped, the rear of the bus, where the fuel tank was located, was already engulfed in a fireball. The flames, fed by a continuous supply of diesel, quickly spread to the passenger cabin.
This is where the tragedy reached its most devastating crescendo. Panic erupted. Survivors described a scene of utter chaos, with thick, toxic smoke filling the cabin and flames blocking the main exit at the front. The bus was equipped with emergency windows, but in the darkness, confusion, and terror, operating them became a challenge. The fire spread with such ferocious speed that many passengers, especially those seated towards the rear, had no time to react. They were trapped in their seats.
The official death toll of 20 could have been even higher were it not for the heroic efforts of other motorists and local villagers who rushed to the scene. Using whatever tools they could find, they smashed windows and pulled out survivors, risking their own lives in the process. The charred shell of the bus, with its twisted metal and melted seats, stood as a grim testament to the intensity of the blaze. The victims were so severely burned that DNA testing was required for identification, adding another layer of anguish for grieving families.
The Anatomy of a Preventable Disaster
While the sideswipe with the motorcycle was the trigger, the Kurnool tragedy was not an unavoidable “accident.” It was a disaster waiting to happen, exposing critical flaws in vehicle design, safety regulations, and enforcement.
1. The Fatal Flaw: The Exposed Fuel Tank: The most glaring failure was the placement and protection of the fuel tank. In many buses, including the one involved, the fuel tank is mounted externally on the side of the vehicle, with only a flimsy cap separating it from the outside world. This design makes it vulnerable to even low-impact collisions. A simple sideswipe, which would cause only cosmetic damage to a car, can be catastrophic for a bus. The automotive industry has long had the technology to better protect fuel tanks—through shielding, repositioning, or using breakaway valves that seal upon impact. Their absence in a commercial passenger vehicle is a severe oversight.
2. The Volatile Fuel: Diesel vs. Petrol: A common misconception is that diesel is “safe” because it is less explosive than petrol. While it’s true that diesel requires more heat to ignite, it is still a highly flammable liquid. When atomised into a fine mist—as happens when it gushes from a ruptured line or tank—it becomes extremely combustible. The Kurnool incident proved that a diesel fire can be just as swift and deadly as a petrol one, especially in a confined space with ample fuel.
3. Lapses in Safety Protocol: The tragedy raises serious questions about the travel agency’s adherence to safety norms. Were the passengers given a safety briefing? Were the emergency hammers functional, accessible, and did passengers know how to use them? Survivor accounts suggest that many were unaware of the emergency exits in the panic. Furthermore, the role of the driver is under scrutiny. While his immediate actions to stop the bus are understandable, the initial decision to overtake in a potentially risky situation and the lack of a subsequent immediate emergency response protocol are points of investigation.
A Recurring Nightmare and the Call for Change
The Kurnool fire is a ghastly echo of past bus infernos in India, such as the 2013 Mahabubnagar tragedy in Telangana where 45 people perished in a similar manner. Each time, there are official inquiries, promises of stricter rules, and public outrage. Yet, the cycle repeats.
In the aftermath of Kurnool, the Andhra Pradesh government announced compensation for the victims’ families and launched a probe. Transport authorities have pledged to crack down on private operators and review vehicle safety standards. But these reactive measures are not enough. What is needed is a proactive, systemic overhaul.
This includes mandating crash-resistant fuel tanks and lines in all commercial passenger vehicles, making fire suppression systems in engine compartments compulsory, and enforcing rigorous, unannounced safety audits of bus fleets. Passenger safety drills, perhaps through short video demonstrations before a journey begins, must become standard practice.
The 20 souls who lost their lives in the Kurnool tragedy were not just victims of a bike crash and a fire. They were victims of a complacent system that prioritizes cost over safety, and reaction over prevention. Their deaths are a searing indictment of a failure to learn from history. Until the lessons of this charred bus are etched not just in investigation reports but in ironclad regulations and their strict enforcement, the haunting question will remain: When will the next bus become a funeral pyre on our highways?