A Bengaluru-bound private bus from Hyderabad caught fire in this district Friday after colliding with a two-wheeler, leaving 20 people dead, most of them charred to death, a senior police official said.

Among the deceased was the biker.

President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and his Telangana counterpart A Revanth Reddy expressed anguish over the incident.

Some of the bodies were charred beyond recognition, prompting officials to call forensic teams to collect DNA samples of the deceased.

Several passengers couldn’t escape the tragedy because it struck at night while they were sleeping, an official said.

PM Modi also announced an ex-gratia.

According to initial reports,

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