APSRTC driver charred to death in bus-van collision

Five passengers who sustained burns when a fire broke out in the driver's cabin after the collision have been hospitalised.

A driver of an APSRTC bus was charred to death and five passengers sustained burn injuries when the vehicle collided with a DCM van at Bowenpally, in Hyderabad, in the early hours of Tuesday.

According to the police, the Nizamabad-bound bus started from Nellore on Monday afternoon. After a brief halt at the Jubilee Bus Station, the bus started for Armoor. When it reached Sree Latha Gardens in Bowenpally, a DCM van coming from the opposite direction collided with it.

Soon after the collision, a fire broke out in the driver’s cabin. The driver, Gangadhar (40), who was trapped inside, suffered severe burn injuries and died. The passengers, including women, escaped by jumping out of the windows with the help of passersby, the police said. Around 40 passengers were travelling in the bus.

The injured passengers were shifted to Gandhi Hospital for treatment, while another driver, Madhu, was shifted to the RTC hospital at Tarnaka. A case has been registered by the Bowenpally police in this regard.