How a DCM driver helped passengers escape death in Andhra's bus-truck collision

Thirty six passengers, on board the private bus, were trapped as the main door and emergency exit failed to open after the collision.

Three people were killed, and several others were injured after a head-on collision between a private bus and a container truck in Andhra Pradesh's Nandyal district in the early hours of Thursday. Fortunately, several lives were saved because of a DCM vehicle driver.

The drivers of the bus and the container truck, along with the truck cleaner, were trapped inside the vehicles, and burnt alive. (Screengrab/PTI)

The driver of the private bus, operated by ARBCVR Private Travels, reportedly lost control, jumped the road divider and rammed into a container lorry coming from the other direction.

In the accident, which took place around 2 am in the Shirivella Mandal (block), both the drivers of the bus and of the container truck, along with the truck cleaner, were charred to death beyond recognition.

When the two vehicles collided, a massive fire broke out in the private bus, with flames spreading rapidly. Since both the main door and the emergency exit of the bus failed to open, passengers were unable to escape.

To their good fortune, a DCM vehicle driver, passing by the area, spotted the blaze. He immediately stopped and ran to help the passengers. Police said that he broke the bus windows and helped the 36 passengers escape.

"Many jumped out through the windows to save their lives," the official said in an earlier HT report.

According to Madhusudan, inspector, Sirivellametta, four passengers sustained serious injuries and were shifted to the hospital, while eight others suffered minor injuries, news agency ANI reported.

Unfortunately, the bus driver, the truck driver and the cleaner were trapped inside the vehicles and burnt alive.

The blaze, which quickly engulfed the bus and the container truck, reduced both vehicles to ashes, destroying the passengers' luggage and personal belongings.

Owing to the accident, traffic on the route was disrupted for several hours. Eventually, the damaged vehicles were removed, and traffic movement was restored.

A police official said a case has been registered, adding that an investigation has been launched to ascertain exactly what happened. "Statements are being collected from injured passengers," the official added.

He said that the timely intervention by the DCM driver helped prevent a much higher death toll.