• Source:JND
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Kurnool Bus Fire: The tragic Kurnool bus fire, which claimed the lives of 19 passengers, was made far worse by the presence of 234 smartphones on board. Investigators revealed that these phones, being transported as part of a commercial consignment, likely intensified the blaze.

Forensic experts have suggested that the batteries in the smartphones exploded during the fire, amplifying the heat and destruction inside the bus. Eyewitnesses recalled hearing multiple battery explosions as the flames spread.

Here are some fresh updates on Kurnool Bus Fire

- According to a report by NDTV, the consignment of 234 smartphones was valued at Rs 46 lakh. It belonged to a Hyderabad-based businessman, Manganath, and was being shipped to the e-commerce giant Flipkart in Bengaluru, from where the phones would eventually reach customers.

- While the smartphones’ batteries worsened the fire, authorities say the fire initially began elsewhere. P Venkataraman, director-general of the Andhra Pradesh Fire Services Department, explained that the front section of the bus caught fire due to a fuel leakage. A bike had become trapped under the vehicle, and the resulting petrol spill, combined with heat or a spark, ignited the flames.

- “The heat was so severe that it melted the aluminum sheets on the bus floor,” Venkataraman added, pointing out the devastating intensity of the fire. He also revealed the grim aftermath at the scene: “We saw bones and ash dropping through the melted sheets,” highlighting the catastrophic loss of life.

- The bus’s structural design contributed to the disaster. In addition to the smartphones, the electrical batteries powering the bus’s air conditioning system also burst during the fire, fueling the inferno even further.

- The DNA profiling of victims will take 48 hours and is expected to be completed by October 27, said an official on Saturday.

- As many as 19 passengers travelling in the private bus and a motor bike rider were charred to death in the wee hours of Friday after it collided with a two-wheeler at Chinnatekuru village of Kurnool district.

- There were 44 passengers in the bus and several managed to escape the fire.
Kurnool district collector A Siri said samples from 19 bodies were collected and sent to the Forensic Sciences Laboratory in Vijayawada.

- Out of the 19 bodies, one could not be identified as no one claimed it, she said, while the DNA profiling will exactly match the bodies to its family members.

- Relatives of 16 bodies have given their samples for the DNA profiling while two more are reaching Vijayawada today for this purpose, she said.

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-  In the wake of the Kurnool bus accident, the Transport Department has stepped up inspections. The RTO inspected private travel operators at the Poole Bomma Center in Nellore city. Vehicles found violating transport regulations are being thoroughly checked, and those without proper documents are being fined.

- Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that all the states should work out safety measures.

- Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed deep concern over the bus mishap near Kurnool in the early hours of Friday and directed the ministers and officials to "rush immediately to the spot" and "take up relief measures", the Chief Minister's office said in a press release.

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- The Andhra Pradesh government on Friday announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased and Rs two lakh each to the injured of the Kurnool bus fire incident.

-  The Telangana government on Friday announced ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased in the Kurnool bus fire accident, and Rs 2 lakh each to those injured.

( With Inputs from Agencies )

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