How 234 Smartphones Worth ₹46 Lakh Fueled The Deadly Andhra Bus Fire
As investigations continue into the devastating bus fire in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool district, which claimed 19 lives early Friday morning, officials have discovered a shocking new detail. A consignment of 234 smartphones worth ₹46 lakh was being transported on board the ill-fated vehicle, and their exploding batteries likely intensified the inferno.
According to forensic experts, the lithium-ion batteries inside the smartphones are believed to have contributed to the magnitude of the fire, which engulfed the private sleeper bus within minutes after the accident.
Officials revealed that the consignment of smartphones was owned by a Hyderabad-based businessman named Manganath and was being transported as a parcel to Bengaluru, where they were meant to be supplied to customers through Flipkart, the e-commerce giant.
Eyewitnesses at the scene told police they could hear multiple explosions as the fire spread, sounds later confirmed to be from phone batteries bursting in the intense heat.
Also, read| At Least 25 Killed As Private Bus En Route To Bengaluru Catches Fire In Kurnool
P. Venkataraman, Director-General of the Andhra Pradesh Fire Services Department, said the tragedy was the result of a combination of factors — a fuel leak, exploding phone batteries, and the bus’s lightweight aluminium structure.
“The initial blaze appears to have started in the front section of the bus due to a fuel leak,” said Venkataraman. “A bike got stuck under the vehicle, and the splatter of petrol, combined with heat or a spark, ignited the fire. The lithium batteries of the smartphones then started exploding, making the situation far worse,” he added.
The official added that the electrical batteries used for the bus’s air-conditioning system also exploded as the temperature rose. “The heat was so intense that the aluminium floor sheets melted,” he said.
Firefighters who reached the scene described a horrific sight. “We saw bones and ash dropping through the melted sheets,” Venkataraman revealed, indicating the sheer intensity of the blaze and the near-total destruction of the bus.
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He also pointed out a serious structural flaw in the vehicle’s design. The bus, which was made with lightweight aluminium instead of iron, was designed to reduce fuel consumption and increase speed, but this design choice proved catastrophic in the fire. “Aluminium melts at a much lower temperature than iron. This made it impossible to contain the flames or protect the passengers,” the DG added.
Nineteen passengers were killed, many beyond recognition, while several others suffered burns and injuries. Forensic teams are now working to confirm the identities of the victims and determine whether flammable cargo was being carried without proper declaration.
Authorities are also investigating whether the transport of smartphones with lithium-ion batteries on a passenger vehicle violated safety norms.
Experts say the Kurnool incident serves as a tragic reminder of the dangers of transporting lithium battery consignments without proper precautions.
The combination of a fuel spill, heat, and combustible materials created the perfect storm that led to one of Andhra Pradesh’s deadliest road fires in recent years.
(With inputs from NDTV)
