GUWAHATI — At least 19 people have died and several were injured after a bus they were travelling in caught fire following a collision with a motorcycle on a highway in Andhra Pradesh in southern India, reports say.

The motorcycle was trapped under the bus, rupturing its fuel tank and triggering an explosion. The Bangalore-bound bus carrying about 40 passengers was engulfed in flames within minutes early on Friday.

Reports cited eyewitnesses saying they heard passengers screaming for help as locals rushed to pull out survivors. Some managed to escape through an emergency exit window.

The bus driver and cleaner fled the scene. Authorities have opened an investigation into possible fuel leakage and negligent driving.

Most passengers, who had boarded the bus from Hyderabad city, were asleep when the fire broke out, media reports said, adding that authorities were yet to confirm the exact death toll.

"So far, 19 bodies have been recovered," senior police officer Koya Praveen told news agency PTI. The motorcyclist was among the dead.

Mr Praveen said the bus was gutted by the time firefighters reached the spot. "The point of combustion was the fuel tank of the motorcycle from which the fire spread rapidly inside the bus," he added.

Reports say that forensic teams have been sent to identify the bodies, and DNA tests may be required.

President Droupadi Murmu called the incident "unfortunate". "I extend my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family members and pray for the speedy recovery of those injured," she said in a post on X.

Buses are a common mode of transport in India, but operators frequently ignore safety rules and overcrowd vehicles.

Road accidents claimed around 180,000 lives in India last year — the highest in the world — mostly due to speeding, reckless driving and risky manoeuvres by vehicles. — BBC