They shared the same name, came from the same district of Andhra Pradesh, got married around the same time, and had two children each. They have also been friends for 20 years.
On Thursday night, Nelakurthi Ramesh (30) and Golla Ramesh (31), along with their families, boarded the V-Kaveri Travels bus from Hyderabad to Bengaluru. Around 3 am on Friday, tragedy struck.
The bus caught fire on the outskirts of Kurnool after a collision with a motorcycle ruptured its fuel tank, leaving 19 passengers and the motorcycle rider dead. As many as 27 people managed to escape in time from the bus, which, according to survivors, filled up with smoke in seconds.
Among those who survived were Nelakurthi Ramesh, his wife, and their two children. Golla Ramesh, his wife Anusha (28) and their two children — an eight-year-old son and a six-year-old daughter — did not make it out alive.
“We had been friends since 2005, ever since we met in Bengaluru. He was a year older than me,” a tearful Nelakurthi Ramesh told The Indian Express. “We worked as salespersons for Hindustan Unilever. Last week, we visited our relatives in Nellore and then went to my sister’s house in L B Nagar in Hyderabad to spend a couple of days at her home.”
They started for Bengaluru last night. “Golla Ramesh and his family were on the upper berths. My family and I were sleeping below. Suddenly, I woke up and saw flames licking the sides of the bus. I shook my wife and children awake and made them jump out of a window. I woke up [Golla] Ramesh, too, but it was too late… The entire bus was engulfed in flames… They could not even get down from the berths… I somehow managed to jump out,” he said.
“My family and I survived, but my best friend and his family did not. I don’t know what to think. All I can do now is collect their bodies and take them to their village for the last rites,” he said, sobbing.
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Coming from poor families in Nellore district, the two men migrated to Bengaluru in search of work after completing secondary school.
“We needed to find work… There was no question of further studies,” said Nelakurthi Ramesh. “It was at my workplace that I met [Golla]… we became very good friends as we both were from the same area in Nellore. Slowly, we climbed up the sales and marketing ladder and started making decent money recently. We both got married around the same time… Our families loved each other and stayed together most of the time. We would visit Nellore or Hyderabad together.”
Nelakurthi Ramesh said his wife, Sri Lakshmi, and two children, aged 8 and 2, are safe.
Golla Ramesh was from Gollavaripalli in Nellore. TDP MLA from Udayagiri, Kakarla Suresh, visited his parents. “His father, Malakondaiah, is inconsolable. The family had visited them last week before heading to Hyderabad,” Suresh said.
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According to officials, the 19 passengers who died included six from Andhra Pradesh, six were from Telangana, one from Bihar, one from Odisha, two from Tamil Nadu, and two from Karnataka. One body is yet to be identified.
Officials said the bus driver, who survived, has been taken into custody. Four police teams are currently working to determine the exact sequence of events that led to the collision and the fire.
Compensation, probe announced
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives in the bus tragedy.
“Extremely saddened by the loss of lives due to a mishap in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh. My thoughts are with the affected people and their families during this difficult time. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured. Ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF will be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured will be given Rs 50,000,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a post on X.
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CM Naidu, who was on an official visit to Dubai, was briefed on the incident, following which he spoke to the chief secretary to assess the situation, officials said. Naidu directed senior officials to rush to the accident site and oversee the rescue and relief operations, and also instructed authorities to provide all necessary medical support and assistance to the injured passengers.
The Andhra Pradesh government announced Rs 5 lakh ex gratia to the families of those who died in the tragedy and Rs 2 lakh to those who were injured. State Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha announced an inquiry by a high-level committee into the incident.
