Rider died moments before bus ran over motorbike in Kurnool: Police

The police on Saturday said the two-wheeler involved in the bus accident in Kurnool district had earlier met with an accident, resulting in the instantaneous death of its rider.

Kurnool Superintendent of Police Vikrant Patil said Siva Shankar died on the spot after his two-wheeler skidded on the road and hit the divider, moments before the bus ran over the vehicle. The pillion rider, Erri Swamy, survived with minor injuries, he added.

Police said questioning Swamy helped establish that there were two separate accidents in quick succession — first involving the two-wheeler and then the sleeper bus running over it.

Nineteen passengers travelling in the private bus died in the early hours of Friday after the vehicle ran over the two-wheeler and caught fire. According to police, Shankar and Swamy had left Lakshmipuram village around 2 am on Friday to drop Swamy at Tuggali village. En route, they stopped at an HP petrol pump near the Kia car showroom to refuel, spending Rs 300 at 2.24 am.

A video of the halt later went viral. Shortly after resuming their journey, the two-wheeler skidded, causing Shankar to fall and hit the divider. Wet and muddy roads due to heavy rainfall in the region contributed to the accident, police said.

“When Swamy pulled Shankar from the middle of the road and checked his breath, he realised that Shankar had died on the spot. Even as he was trying to move the bike aside, the bus rushed in and ran over it, dragging it some distance,” Patil said, describing the sequence of events.

Police said further investigation into the incident is ongoing. Meanwhile, it was noted that a consignment of mobile phones stocked in the bus luggage rack had aggravated the fire accident. “The bus batteries, presence of flammable furnishings and the cargo consisting of cell phones aggravated the fire leading to the event,” SP Patil said.