Hyderabad: What began as a routine overnight journey from Hyderabad to Bengaluru after a festive weekend turned into a nightmare when a private bus suddenly burst into flames, trapping passengers in a raging inferno. Within seconds, smoke and fire filled the vehicle, leaving passengers fighting for their lives — and using anything they could find to break free.
In the chaos that followed, mobile phones, laptops, elbows, and fists became tools of survival as terrified travellers smashed windows to escape the heat and choking smoke.
“All I Could See Were Flames”
For Nelakurthi Ramesh (36), the journey home with his wife and two children turned into a desperate struggle. “When I woke up, all I could see were bright yellow and orange flames. I could barely breathe,” he recalled. “My first thought was my family. I smashed the rear window with my fists and pushed my wife and kids out. Others followed. The next thing I remember was waking up in the hospital.”
“Someone Smashed a Window with a Laptop”
Ghantasala Subramanyam (26) from Bahadurpally was jolted awake by a fellow passenger. “The fire spread so fast that the main door got jammed. I saw someone using a laptop to break a window — that’s how we got out,” he said. Subramanyam, along with 10 others, jumped to safety and was later taken to a hospital by a passing motorist who stopped to help.
“People Were Frantically Trying to Escape”
For Jayanth Kushwal (27) of Vidyanagar, the sound of breaking glass still echoes in his mind. “There was chaos everywhere. People were screaming, smashing windows with anything they could grab. There were glass shards all around — it was terrifying,” he said.
“There Wasn’t a Second to Think”
Naveen Kumar (26) from Hayathnagar said survival instincts took over. “When someone broke the emergency door, I rushed towards it. In the chaos, I fractured my leg. People were trapped inside, and I couldn’t help them — that haunts me. But at that moment, there was no time to think, only to act.”
As investigators probe the cause of the fire, survivors remain shaken by the ordeal — a night of horror that turned ordinary objects into desperate instruments of escape and survival.
