Markapuram Tragedy: Joyous festival trip turns fatal for Kanigiri families

Hyderabad: In a tragic road accident that has sent shockwaves across Andhra Pradesh, at least 13 people were burnt alive after a private bus collided with a tipper lorry and caught fire near Rayavaram in Markapuram district in the early hours of Thursday.

The ill-fated bus, belonging to Harikrishna Travels, was carrying passengers from Jagtial to Kanigiri when the accident occurred at around 4 am.

The impact of the collision triggered a massive blaze, engulfing the semi-sleeper bus within minutes and trapping several passengers inside. Among the deceased were five residents from the Kanigiri area, who had been working as labourers in Jagtial, Telangana. They were returning to their hometown to celebrate the Sri Ramanavami festival with their families when tragedy struck.

Due to limited employment opportunities in Kanigiri, many families migrate to various parts of Telangana for livelihood, taking up labour work in construction and other sectors. On Wednesday night, several such families boarded the private bus from Jagtial , hoping to celebrate the festival joyfully in their native places.

However, their journey ended in disaster when a lorry rammed into the bus near Rayavaram. Many passengers were asleep at the time of the collision and were unable to escape as the fire spread rapidly.

The victims from Kanigiri have been identified as Uppu Ramadevi (45) of Lingareddy Palli village, Tammisetty Pitchamma (80) of Challagirigala village, her granddaughter Tammisetty Rukmini (24), Devandla Ramanaiah of Punugodu village, and Bathula Padma of Kanigiri town.

Bandaru Padma, who had been working in Nirmal, along with her husband, is survived by a daughter and a son. She was returning home for the festival when the accident occurred.

Tammisetty Pitchamma and her granddaughter Rukmini belonged to the same family. While Pitchamma was travelling to Kanigiri to collect her pension, Rukmini, who was five months pregnant, was on her way to the hospital, making the incident even more heartbreaking.

In a deeply moving incident, Uppu Ramadevi sacrificed her life to save her son. She was travelling with her son Manohar when the accident took place. As the fire broke out, she pushed her son out of the bus to safety. However, when she attempted to escape, the flames had already engulfed her, leaving her severely burnt.

Manohar, son of Uppu Ramadevi, said he could not save his mother as she was burning before his eyes. The incident has cast a pall of gloom over the Kanigiri region, leaving several families devastated.

Venu, son of Devanlah Ramanaiah, broke down saying “We were waiting for him to come home. We never imagined it would end like this.”

Abhilash, brother-in-law of Bandaru Padma, said, “She left to earn for her family and was returning for the festival now she will never come back.”