Hyderabad, March 27 -- At least 13 people were charred to death and 22 others sustained injuries when the private bus they were travelling in rammed into a tipper lorry, triggering a massive fire that engulfed both vehicles in Andhra Pradesh's Markapuram district on Thursday morning, police said. The accident occurred near Rayavaram village around 6.00 am, according to preliminary information gathered by the police. A statement from the chief minister's office said the private bus, belonging to Harikrishna Travels, was travelling from Nirmal in Telangana to Nellore district when the accident took place. "There were 41 people in the bus at the time of the accident and all the 13 deceased persons were burnt to death," Andhra Pradesh home minister Vangalapudi Anitha said. Markapuram in-charge SP V Harshavardhan Raju said the preliminary probe pointed to the bus veering off into the wrong lane and hitting the truck. "People sitting in the tipper were injured. The impact was also in the middle at the diesel tank of the tipper. It is visible that the bus hit the truck," Raju told reporters. Besides the impact and diesel tank-powered blaze, he said the bus' battery also caught fire, leading to five deaths in the front of the bus and eight in the rear. Among the injured, three are reported to be in critical condition, said an official press release, Raju added. A police officer from Markapuram said, "Those seated in the rear section of the bus were unable to escape after the collision and the subsequent fire, leading to the high number of fatalities. Around 10 passengers seated in the front portion are believed to have managed to escape." Raju said the driver's claim of the bus' steering wheel getting stuck has to be probed further. The exact identity of the deceased is yet to be officially confirmed. However, reports suggest that some of the victims may be from the Kanigiri region. Police said emergency teams continued operations at the site to clear the wreckage and assist survivors. Police are also working to ascertain the exact sequence of events and identify the deceased. The toll is expected to rise further, as the rescue teams from the police and fire services departments, are trying to retrieve the trapped passengers inside the bus. President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed grief over the incident. "Deeply saddened to learn about the tragic bus accident in Markapuram district, Andhra Pradesh. I extend my deepest condolences to the bereaved families. My thoughts and prayers are with them. I wish a speedy recovery to those injured," Murmu said on X. PM Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs.2 lakh from PMNRF to the next of kin of each deceased person. The injured would be given Rs.50,000. "The mishap in Markapuram district, Andhra Pradesh, is tragic. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest," PM Modi said. Naidu and his Telangana counterpart A Revanth Reddy expressed profound shock and grief over the road accident. Following the accident, Naidu spoke to senior officials and reviewed the situation. He sought details about the medical treatment being provided to the injured.District police authorities informed the chief minister that the 22 injured people had been shifted to various hospitals immediately and were undergoing treatment. Naidu also expressed concern over reports suggesting that the death toll could rise further. He directed officials to ensure the best possible medical care for the injured and closely monitor rescue and relief operations. Ordering an investigation into the accident, Naidu offered his deepest condolences to the bereaved families and assured full support from the state government. Revanth Reddy directed Telangana Chief Secretary Ramakrishna Rao to gather complete details about those who died and those who were injured in the accident. One of the survivors recalled the accident, and said, "I was checking my phone. I was seated in the middle. I opened the emergency door and helped a woman out," he said. A woman passenger, who was undergoing treatment for injuries, said that a boy travelling with their group of three had remarked, "Aunty, we will die after the accident." "We had to reach Udayagiri by morning. There were three of us. Two of us are alive, but there is no trace of the boy. We were sleeping and fell from our seats. By the time we realised why we had fallen, there was smoke," she told a vernacular news channel. She said the boy made the statement as they were trying to understand what had happened and why there was smoke, adding that two of them managed to escape through a side door. According to her, the bus was travelling at a high speed, and she was seated in the fifth row from the rear....