20 killed in southern India bus fire

By Anadolu staff

At least 20 people were killed and many injured when a passenger bus caught fire in southern India’s Andhra Pradesh state, officials said.

A passenger bus coming from the southern city of Hyderabad caught fire in Chinnatekur near Kurnool early Friday, the Andhra Pradesh governorship wrote on the US social media company X, while confirming the death toll.

Pawan Kalyan, the state’s deputy chief minister, said the bus collided with a bike, “causing the bus to catch fire and resulting in a horrific accident.”

Kalyan said he has instructed “authorities to take measures to ensure better medical treatment for those injured in this accident.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “extremely saddened” by the loss of lives in the accident.

“My thoughts are with the affected people and their families during this difficult time. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured,” he said.

This is the second incident in India in the space of just weeks of a bus catching fire. Twenty people were killed earlier this month when a passenger bus caught fire in the northwestern Rajasthan state.