Drunk bikers blamed as sleeper bus kills 19 in Kurnool district

A private sleeper bus heading from Hyderabad to Bengaluru ran over a motorcycle and burst into flames in the early hours of October 24 near Chinna Tekuru on National Highway 44 in Kurnool district, killing 19 people and injuring several others, police officials said. The accident unfolded after two men on a bike lost control, one rider died at the scene and the motorcycle was struck and dragged beneath the bus, triggering a blaze that engulfed the vehicle.

Police said CCTV footage and forensic tests show the two motorcycle occupants had consumed alcohol before they left a petrol station a few minutes earlier. "We just received the forensic confirmation that the two bikeborne persons Siva Shankar and Erri Swamy were drunk," Kurnool Range Deputy Inspector General Koya Praveen said, according to investigators. Footage circulated online also shows the biker stopping to refuel shortly before the crash.

According to the timeline reconstructed by police, the pair stopped at a petrol bunk at about 2:24 a.m., then resumed their journey. The motorcycle skidded on a wet stretch of road, likely worsened by recent rainfall, and the rider identified by police as Shiva Shankar fell and struck...