Nellore: A pall of gloom descended on Gollavaripalle village in Vinjamur mandal, about 80 km from Nellore, after news broke that four members of a resident family were charred in the horrific bus fire in Kurnool district on Friday. The tragedy has sent shockwaves through the region, leaving the close-knit rural community in deep sorrow. All four members of the family -- Golla Ramesh (31), his wife Anusha (27), their son Manish (7), and daughter Manvitha (4) -- residents of Gollavaripalle, died on the spot after being trapped inside the burning vehicle. According to Ramesh’s father-in-law Guruaiyah, Ramesh, employed with a private firm in Bengaluru, had recently travelled to Hyderabad along with relatives for a pilgrimage. The tragedy occurred while they were returning to Bengaluru.

Ramesh, son of Malakondaiah and Suseela, was married to his elder sister’s daughter, Anusha. The couple’s two young children also perished in the blaze. Their mortal remains are expected to reach Gollavaripalle on Saturday after completion of post-mortem formalities.

Interestingly, deceased Ramesh’s namesake longtime friend N Ramesh who was also traveling on the same bus, managed to survive and save his family. He broke the bus window to escape after the locked rear emergency door trapped passengers, saving his family of three-wife and children along with a couple of others from the flames.

“The fire erupted around 2:30-3:00 am. Initially, passengers thought of a tyre burst, but panic spread as flames engulfed the front part, forcing desperate escape attempts,” survivor N Ramesh said. The passengers were not informed by either of the drivers that the bus had hit a bike. “I woke up only after hearing a loud noise,” he said. As it was difficult to break the window, the survivor Ramesh told his wife that it was over and that they would die on the bus. She started crying, but somehow he gathered the strength to try again and successfully shattered the window.

The heartbreaking news of demise of Golla Ramesh’s family has plunged the entire Gollavaripalle village into mourning. Grief-stricken relatives and villagers gathered at the family’s home to console the bereaved parents.

Meanwhile, Nellore MP Vemireddy Prabhakara Reddy and MLA Kakarla Suresh visited Gollavaripalle to meet the family members of the deceased. The MP announced a financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh from the VPR Charitable Trust, while MLA Suresh announced Rs 3 lakh from the Kakarla Charitable Trust.

Both leaders assured the family of further support and assistance for their welfare and rehabilitation. The district administration has also reached out to authorities for necessary formalities to expedite the transportation of the bodies.