Kurnool tragedy: Mother and son from Bengaluru among the victims

Among those who boarded the ill-fated bus that caught fire in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh on Friday morning and left 20 dead were a mother and son — Philomena Baby J. and Kishore J., residents of Bengaluru.

Philomena had travelled to Hyderabad to celebrate Deepavali with her daughter and the extended family.

The family, hailing from Hyderabad but living in Bengaluru for several years, had decided to spend the festival in Hyderabad this year after a long gap.

Friend in shock

Before returning, Kishore had asked his close friend, Subhash, to book their tickets. Subhash, who had known Kishore for over 21 years, said he was in shock ever since he heard about the fire.

“I was at a loss for words when I heard about the fire. I kept trying to reach them, but could not get through. I finally learnt that they were among the people who died in the tragic incident.”

Mr. Subhash told The Hindu that Kishore recently quit his job in Bengaluru to pursue his passion for martial arts. “He was a trained martial arts instructor and used to teach Kung Fu,” he added.

Team sent

The Karnataka government has sent a team of officials from the Transport Department to Kurnool. The officials have been instructed to identify victims from Karnataka and extend necessary assistance to their families.

Speaking to this reporter, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said, “I have directed Transport officials from Bagepalli in Karnataka to travel to Kurnool to coordinate with local authorities, gather information about the victims, and assist their families. All necessary arrangements have been made.”

On the bus involved in the incident, the Minister said, “As per information received from officials, this particular bus had all the necessary permits to ply between Bengaluru and Hyderabad. All India permit vehicles are allowed to operate on any route across the country and are not restricted to fixed routes.”