7 die in bus fire near Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: The driver and six passengers, one of them a 4-year-old girl, died when a private Volvo bus caught fire on the city’s outskirts a little after midnight on Sunday.The accident occurred on NH-9 at Khaitlapur in Choutuppal mandal when the bus, belonging to Anjani Travels, rammed a tipper from behind. Both the vehicles were going from Hyderabad to Vijayawada.Bhongir deputy superintendent of police M Yadaiah told Express that the driver and a 4-year-old girl were charred to death and at least five passengers, who were travelling in the bus, were feared dead.“The Volvo bus was closely following the tipper. The two vehicles were going from Hyderabad to Vijayawada. Around 12.25 am, as the tipper reached Khaitlapur village, its driver lost control over steering and the vehicle hit a divider. The Volvo bus, which was behind the tipper, rammed the tipper. The driver and the girl died on the spot under the impact of the collision,’’ the DSP said.A few minutes later, the bus burst into flames due to short-circuit. Five passengers, who were in deep sleep, were feared dead. “As many as 45 passengers were travelling on the bus. As the bus caught fire, most of the passengers broke open the window panes and jumped out, injuring themselves,’’ the DSP said.All the injured were shifted to the city for treatment. The accident brought the  traffic on the busy national highway to a halt.