Amaravati, March 26 Andhra Pradesh was struck by four horrific bus accidents within six months, which killed at least 45 people and injured several.
Of the 45 deceased, 33 were killed in two separate bus accidents alone, which occurred in the villages of Chinna Tekuru and Rayavaram.
In a pre-dawn accident on Thursday, at least 14 passengers and 22 were injured when a private bus collided with a dump truck near the Rayavaram village in the Markapuram district.
The accident occurred between 5:30 am and 6 am on a road leading to Podili when the bus crashed into a dump truck carrying concrete chips, colliding with its fuel tank, which ignited a massive fire.
On January 22, two people and a bus driver were killed at Sirivella Metta village in the Nandyal district when a private bus bound for Hyderabad collided with a lorry and caught fire.
Both vehicles were engulfed in flames after the collision. However, more than 30 passengers were safely evacuated with the help of locals, averting another major disaster.
On December 12, 2025, nine people were killed and 23 others were injured after a bus fell off a ghat road and overturned in the Alluri Sitaramaraju district.
On October 24, 2025, a sleeper bus bound for Bengaluru ran over a two-wheeler, which had already been involved in an accident, in the village of Chinna Tekuru in the Kurnool district, resulting in the eruption of a raging fire that burned 19 passengers to death.
Andhra Pradesh Transport Commissioner Manish Kumar Sinha on the Markapuram bus tragedy, said that the bus was originally registered in Lakshadweep and underwent some modifications before being registered in Arunachal Pradesh on December 24.
"I think 99 per cent of these accidents are due to human error. All the bus documents are in order," Sinha told the media.
Quoting reports, he said that in the last 7-8 months, about 145 people have died in sleeper bus accidents across the country.
Sinha said that after the Kurnool incident, the authorities have stopped and verified about 200 buses and issued notices to 90.
He said that higher permit fees are one of the reasons why vehicle owners prefer Northeastern states or Union Territories for bus registrations.
Meanwhile, Transport Minister M Ramprasad Reddy said that a special task force will be constituted to address bus accidents.
"It is very sad to see these kinds of road accidents occurring. We will keep a close watch on private travel buses in the state. Soon, we will convene a special meeting with private travel owners," an official release, quoting Reddy, said.
Further, the Transport Minister promised to bring a "special law to avert road accidents".
Of the 45 deceased, 33 were killed in two separate bus accidents alone, which occurred in the villages of Chinna Tekuru and Rayavaram.
In a pre-dawn accident on Thursday, at least 14 passengers and 22 were injured when a private bus collided with a dump truck near the Rayavaram village in the Markapuram district.
The accident occurred between 5:30 am and 6 am on a road leading to Podili when the bus crashed into a dump truck carrying concrete chips, colliding with its fuel tank, which ignited a massive fire.
On January 22, two people and a bus driver were killed at Sirivella Metta village in the Nandyal district when a private bus bound for Hyderabad collided with a lorry and caught fire.
Both vehicles were engulfed in flames after the collision. However, more than 30 passengers were safely evacuated with the help of locals, averting another major disaster.
On December 12, 2025, nine people were killed and 23 others were injured after a bus fell off a ghat road and overturned in the Alluri Sitaramaraju district.
On October 24, 2025, a sleeper bus bound for Bengaluru ran over a two-wheeler, which had already been involved in an accident, in the village of Chinna Tekuru in the Kurnool district, resulting in the eruption of a raging fire that burned 19 passengers to death.
Andhra Pradesh Transport Commissioner Manish Kumar Sinha on the Markapuram bus tragedy, said that the bus was originally registered in Lakshadweep and underwent some modifications before being registered in Arunachal Pradesh on December 24.
"I think 99 per cent of these accidents are due to human error. All the bus documents are in order," Sinha told the media.
Quoting reports, he said that in the last 7-8 months, about 145 people have died in sleeper bus accidents across the country.
Sinha said that after the Kurnool incident, the authorities have stopped and verified about 200 buses and issued notices to 90.
He said that higher permit fees are one of the reasons why vehicle owners prefer Northeastern states or Union Territories for bus registrations.
Meanwhile, Transport Minister M Ramprasad Reddy said that a special task force will be constituted to address bus accidents.
"It is very sad to see these kinds of road accidents occurring. We will keep a close watch on private travel buses in the state. Soon, we will convene a special meeting with private travel owners," an official release, quoting Reddy, said.
Further, the Transport Minister promised to bring a "special law to avert road accidents".