Published Sep 24, 2026 | 8:54 AM ⚊ Updated Sep 24, 2026 | 8:54 AM
The driver noticed the fire in time and alerted the passengers, who scrambled out before the blaze spread.
Synopsis: A private bus carrying 38 pilgrims from Hyderabad to Srisailam caught fire near Karmanghat in Hyderabad early on Thursday, 24 September, but all passengers escaped unhurt. The driver alerted the passengers after noticing flames from the engine, and officials suspect an electrical short circuit may have caused the fire.
A private travel bus carrying pilgrims to Srisailam caught fire near the Karmanghat Hanuman Temple within the limits of the Meerpet police station in the early hours of Thursday, 24 September, with all those onboard escaping unhurt.
The bus was reportedly part of a three-bus convoy carrying around 150 devotees from Hyderabad to Srisailam. While two of the buses were being refuelled at a petrol bunk at around 2 am, flames suddenly erupted from the right side of the engine of the third bus, which was parked on the main road.
The driver noticed the fire in time and alerted the passengers, who scrambled out before the blaze spread. Officials said the bus was completely burnt down, while all 38 passengers escaped without injuries.
Fire safety officials reportedly received a call around 2.15 am, and personnel rushed to the spot to put out the flames. An electrical short circuit is suspected to have triggered the fire, though the exact cause is yet to be determined.
The incident follows a series of deadly accidents across the two Telugu states and neighbouring Karnataka over the past year. Earlier this year, 13 people were burnt alive and 24 were injured after a private bus caught fire following a collision with a truck in Markapuram, Andhra Pradesh.
In December 2025, 10 people were killed and many others injured after a private sleeper bus caught fire on National Highway 48 in Karnataka’s Chitradurga after colliding with a lorry.
A month earlier, 20 people, including two children, were killed after a bus travelling from Hyderabad to Bengaluru caught fire in Kurnool.
(Edited by Dese Gowda with inputs from Sreshta Ladegaam)
