19 people died in fire in Hyderabad-Bengaluru bus. The fire became more severe due to the explosion of 234 new smartphone batteries kept in the bus. This accident happened due to fuel leaking after collision with the bike.
Hyderabad: The investigation into the accident in which 19 people were burnt alive when the AC bus coming from Hyderabad to Bengaluru caught fire is ongoing and an important thing has come to light. During the investigation of the case, it was found that there were 234 new smartphones worth Rs 40 lakh in this bus. All of them had exploded at the time of the accident. Information has been received that these were being sent by bus as parcels to customers in Bengaluru. 43 people including the bus driver and staff were on board in this accident which occurred early on Friday. In this incident, 19 people could not get out of the bus and were burnt alive, while the rest managed to escape by breaking the window. Many of them were also seriously injured.
New smartphones worth Rs 46 lakh were being sent to e-commerce company
Forensic experts investigating this incident have indicated that the intensity of the fire in the bus increased due to the explosions in the batteries of these new phones, due to which 19 passengers died. The price of 234 smartphones was Rs 46 lakh. Manganath, a businessman from Hyderabad, had sent them as a parcel to Bengaluru. These were sent to an e-commerce company in Bengaluru, from where these phones were to be delivered to the customers. Eyewitnesses said that when the phone caught fire, sounds of exploding batteries were heard.
There was an explosion in the battery of the air conditioning system
Talking about this, Andhra Pradesh Fire Services Department Director General P. Venkataraman said that along with the explosions of smartphones, the electric batteries used in the air conditioning system of the bus also exploded. Venkatraman said the fire was so severe that even the aluminum sheets on the floor of the bus melted. He said that the initial fire in the front part of the bus was caused by fuel leakage. Additionally, a bike stuck under the bus caused petrol to spill and a spark coming in contact with it caused a fire, which soon engulfed the entire vehicle.
Aluminum floors were melting, ashes and bones were falling down.
Describing the magnitude of the fire, Venkataraman said, “We saw bones and ash falling down from the melted aluminum sheets, which shows the magnitude of the loss of lives.” He also pointed out an artificial flaw in the construction of the bus. He said that to reduce the weight of the vehicle and increase the speed, light aluminum is often used instead of iron, which has been proved by this incident how fatal it can be in times of emergency. This increased the seriousness of the accident.
How did the fire break out in the Hyderabad-Bengaluru bus?
The sleeper bus of Vemuri Kaveri Travels, registered in Diu-Daman, carrying 43 people, was passing near Kurnool around 2:30 am on Thursday. During this time he collided with a two-wheeler. After this the bus dragged the bike for about 400 meters. During this time, fuel leaked from the petrol tank of the bike and the bus caught fire. The broken wire caused a short circuit and the bus door got locked. Within a few moments, the passengers, who were awakened by the fire, tried to open the door, but it did not open. After this he jumped out of the emergency exit and broke the window glass. 19 passengers could not come out and died a painful death by burning in the bus itself. The bike rider also died.