A passenger bus burst into flames after a motorbike crashed into it, killing at least 25 people and injuring several others in southern India.

A fire ripped through the bus within minutes early on Friday, trapping dozens of passengers as it sped along a highway near Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh state.

Some people managed to break windows, leaping to safety with minor injuries, while others were charred to death, senior police official Vikrant Patil said.

Image:
Volunteers working amid the debris of the bus. Pic: AP

There were 44 passengers on board, most of whom were asleep at the time of the crash.

The bus was gutted and the unidentified bike rider also died, Mr Patil said.

The accident occurred in Chinnatekuru village near Kurnool, around 130 miles (210 kilometres) south of Hyderabad.

The bus was travelling between the cities of Hyderabad in Telangana state and Bengaluru in Karnataka state.

The motorbike rammed into the speeding bus from behind and became stuck, Mr Patil said. It was dragged for some distance, causing sparks that engulfed the bus’s fuel tank.

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“As the smoke started spreading, the driver stopped the bus and tried to put the fire out by using a fire extinguisher, but the fire was so intense he couldn’t control it,” Mr Patil said.

A team of forensic experts was investigating the incident.

India‘s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has offered his condolences to the bereaved families.