Hyderabad Bengaluru Highway bus accident: A bus travelling from Hyderabad to Bengaluru met with an accident on October 24. 19 people were killed and several others were injured in this accident. Survivors narrated a spine-chilling account, stating that the festive weekend, filled with joy due to Diwali, turned into a nightmare. They still shudder recalling the horrific scene.
Survivors said that after the accident, they did anything they could to get out of the bus. Some were breaking the bus windows with their bare hands, while others were struggling to escape by breaking the windows with their mobile phones and laptops. They said the entire incident happened in a matter of seconds.
Nelakurthy (36), who was returning to Bengaluru with his wife and two children after visiting relatives for Diwali, said that when he woke up after the accident, he could only see flames. The bright yellow and orange flames were intensifying rapidly, making it difficult to breathe. He broke the rear window with his hands and pulled his family out of the burning bus. Afterwards, they ran away from the bus onto the road. He doesn't remember when they were taken to the hospital. He regained consciousness at the hospital.
Ghantasala Subrahmanyam (26) from Bahadurpally said that he woke up when a fellow passenger shook him vigorously. He said it took him a while to understand what was happening. He picked up his bag and tried to exit through the main gate of the bus, but the gate was jammed due to the fire. He then saw someone breaking a window with a laptop. He and about 10 other people jumped onto the road without any hesitation. A person in a car passing by offered to take them to the hospital.
Jayant Kushwal (27) from Vidyanagar said that all he remembers is people trying to escape like madmen. Some broke the rear windows, while others broke the windows near their seats. Glass shards were scattered everywhere. It was very frightening.
Naveen Kumar (26) from Hayathnagar said, "We didn't get even a second to think; everything happened on its own. When I saw someone breaking the rear emergency door, I ran towards him. In this chaos, my left leg got fractured. Around me, people were trapped, trying to escape. I couldn't help them, and that bothers me. But, in those moments, no one could do anything."
