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After a Bengaluru-bound bus was engulfed in flames in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool on Friday, resulting in 20 deaths, the victims’ families are still grappling with the tragedy. The tragedy has reduced young dreams to ashes, leaving parents inconsolable and survivors haunted by the horror. Among the victims was 23-year-old Anusha, a software engineer at Accenture in Bengaluru. Her parents, who had proudly sent her off after her Diwali visit home, are now consumed by regret, according to a report in NDTV. “How I wish my daughter never got that job in Bengaluru,” her father wept. “We saw off my daughter at the bus stand,” he said, reliving the moment that turned from routine to heartbreaking. Her mother whispered, “I had told my daughter to extend her stay,” a wish now forever unanswered. Another victim, Meghnath, had started working in Bengaluru just five months ago. His mother, refusing to accept the loss, sobbed at the site, “My son cannot go away like this,” she cried, before collapsing in a fresh wave of despair. “How will I live without my son?” she wailed. Survivor Reveals Safety Flaws Survivor Guna Sai described the moments of chaos. “It was dark and smokey… I don’t know how many of us managed to survive,” he told NDTV. “I jumped from the window to escape the fire… I saw no hammer to break the glass. The driver did not help,” he said. His words underline the lack of safety measures. “We tried to break the glass from inside but finally someone probably broke it from the outside, helping us to escape,” he added. His words echo the public’s bitter sentiment, “Safety is spoken about only after the accident. Everyone has a short memory regarding safety.” Telangana Minister Jupally Krishna Rao blamed the driver and the travel agency, demanding strict punishment. “They should be made to pay for it,” he said. Kurnool SP Vikrant has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the blaze. For the grieving families, however, no inquiry can fill the void left behind.
