The privately operated bus was passing another vehicle when it crashed into the roadside barrier in Mehabubnagar in southern Andhra Pradesh state, said Deputy Inspector General of Police Naveen Kumar. The diesel tank then caught fire and engulfed the bus, according to Pradeep, a police official who goes by one name.
The driver and five others managed to escape through a window, said Girija Shankar, a district official. The other passengers, apparently asleep at the time of the crash, were trapped inside. India has the highest annual road death toll in the world, according to the World Health Organization. More than 110,000 people are killed every year in road accidents across India.