Overview
- Police confirmed 20 dead in the Kurnool district blaze, with 41 aboard, after passengers were trapped when the main door reportedly jammed during an electrical short.
- CCTV from about 2:23 a.m. shows the motorcyclist, identified as Shiva Shankar, behaving erratically and allegedly intoxicated shortly before the collision that left his bike wedged under the bus with an open fuel cap.
- Officials said the bus lacked fire control equipment, and the driver, detained on criminal negligence charges after initially fleeing, had documents seized as investigators examine permits and safety compliance.
- Transport records flagged cross‑state registration irregularities and pending overspeeding e‑challans in Telangana totaling roughly Rs 23,000, prompting a high‑level, multi‑departmental inquiry.
- DNA sampling and forensic identification are underway for badly burned victims, survivors are under treatment, and the Prime Minister announced ex‑gratia of Rs 2 lakh for each deceased family and Rs 50,000 for the injured.