It’s Thursday morning, January 22, 2026, and we’re looking at a scene in Nandyal that could have been much, much worse. A private travel bus (ARBCVR Travels) heading from Nellore to Hyderabad turned into a fireball around 2:00 AM near Shirivella Metta. The thing is, when a tyre bursts at high speed and sends a bus over a divider into a truck full of motorcycles, you usually don’t expect 36 people to walk away. Or nothing.
But they did, and it’s largely thanks to a DCM truck driver who wasn’t even involved in the crash. Let’s be real—the bus was a death trap. The main door jammed. The emergency exit was useless. Those too.
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The “Nandyal Hero” Report: Field Notes
It’s an ongoing situation where the survivors are still being treated, but the sequence of events is clear. Here’s the ground reality:
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The Sudden Burst: The right-side tyre of the bus blew out. The driver lost control instantly, hopped the median, and hit an oncoming container lorry head-on. The thing is, the impact triggered an immediate explosion.
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The “Invisible” Savior: A local DCM vehicle driver (a small goods carrier) was passing by. Instead of driving on, he stopped and ran toward the flames. He realized the doors were stuck, so he started smashing windows with whatever he could find.
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The Charred Toll: While the 36 passengers escaped, the three people in the front—the bus driver, the truck driver, and the cleaner—never had a chance. They were charred beyond recognition before anyone could reach them. Or nothing.
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The Injury List: Most passengers survived with just minor scrapes from jumping out, but four people have serious fractures and ten others have burn injuries. They’re currently at Nandyal Government Hospital. Those too.
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Nandyal Accident Dashboard (Jan 22, 2026)
| Detail | Status / Info | The “Ground” Reality |
| Location | Shirivellametta, Nandyal | NH-40 (Nandyal-Allagadda Road). |
| Casualties | 3 Dead | Both drivers and the truck cleaner. |
| Survivors | 36 Passengers | All evacuated; luggage and belongings lost. |
| Cause | Tyre Burst | Sudden failure led to loss of control. |
| Investigation | Case Registered | Police collecting statements from survivors now. |
And Here’s the Kicker…
The thing is, this is the second major bus fire in this region in the last few months. Minister B.C. Janardhan Reddy has already ordered an inquiry into the maintenance records of ARBCVR Travels. Let’s be real—if that DCM driver hadn’t stopped, we’d be talking about a national tragedy today. Or nothing.
One side comment—the luggage was completely incinerated. People jumped out in their pajamas with nothing but their lives. It’s an ongoing situation where the local community is currently providing food and clothes to the survivors while they wait for family to pick them up. Those too.
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End…
