India bus fire: Hundreds of smartphones intensified blaze - reports

The bus was carrying 234 smartphones that likely ruptured, exacerbating the fire, officials told local media.

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Flames rapidly engulfed the Bangalore-bound bus after it collided with a motorcycle that ruptured its fuel tank and triggered an explosion early on Friday.

Eyewitnesses said the approximately 40 passengers had struggled to escape as locals rushed to pull out survivors.

Forensic experts have now told local media that the bus had been carrying a shipment of 234 mobile phones, and that the lithium-ion batteries they contained likely exacerbated the fire once they ruptured.

"The bus batteries, presence of flammable furnishings in the bus and the cargo consisting of cell phones aggravated the fire leading to the tragic event," CNN News18 quotes Kurnool Superintendent of Police Vikrant Patel as saying.