Kurnool: Fresh evidence in Friday’s Andhra Pradesh bus tragedy that claimed 20 lives points to the role of two sloshed youths who left their motorcycle on the middle of the road for reasons unknown.

CCTV footage from a BPCL petrol pump, about three km from the accident site shows two youths getting their Pulsar bike refuelled. The two then leave the pump and the video footage shows the bike being ridden in a reckless manner.

The police now say that the two then abandoned the bike on the highway, which is believed to have triggered the chain of events that led to the inferno.

The incident occurred between 2:45 and 3 am, when the private bus collided with a stationary motorcycle and dragged it for nearly 300 to 500 metres, sparking a massive fire that engulfed the vehicle within minutes, leaving 20 dead.

The biker has been identified as Shiv Shankar but his whereabouts are not known as yet. The identity of the other youth is not known.

It is not known why the duo abandoned the bike in the middle of the highway. Investigation has revealed that the petrol tank cap appeared improperly closed, adding another layer to the mystery.

The bus, unable to avoid the obstacle, rammed into the two-wheeler and dragged it along the road, igniting sparks that set the vehicle ablaze. By the time firefighters and rural police reached the spot around 3:15 am, the entire bus was engulfed in flames.

Efforts are underway to find out whether Shiv Shankar was injured, fled the scene, or was taken to hospital by a passersby. A high-level inquiry committee has been formed to probe multiple angles, including the bus driver’s role, the vehicle’s safety lapses, and why the bike was left unattended.

The police said that most victims were charred beyond recognition. The dead included two children. Nine others were injured. The bus was carrying 44 passengers from Bengaluru to Hyderabad at the time of the accident.