The bus fire tragedy in Kurnool, which claimed the lives of about 20 people on Friday, has put the spotlight onto the safety concerns in sleeper buses. Transport department officials and industry insiders flag issues on location of emergency exits and illegal modification of sleeper coaches.

The private bus, operated by V Kaveri Travels, had about 40 passengers on board when it went up in flames after colliding with a motorcycle coming in the opposite direction. As per preliminary reports, only about half the passengers managed to escape from the bus.

Emergency exits remain a major problem in sleeper buses, said an industry insider. “When there is an emergency and you are in a seater bus, you can move away immediately. That is not the case with sleeper buses. There are many obstacles, in

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