Officials inspect the debris of a private bus after it collided with a vehicle in Markapuram district of Andhra Pradesh state, India, March 26, 2026. Over a dozen people died and around 25 were injured when the private bus they were travelling in collided head-on with a vehicle coming from the opposite direction in India's southern state of Andhra Pradesh early on Thursday, a local police official confirmed. (Str/Xinhua)

NEW DELHI, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Over a dozen people died and around 25 were injured when the private bus they were travelling in collided head-on with a vehicle coming from the opposite direction in India's southern state of Andhra Pradesh early on Thursday, a local police official confirmed.

The mishap occurred in the Markapuram district in Andhra Pradesh. The death toll was feared to rise as five persons among the injured were said to be in a critical condition.

Both the vehicles caught fire immediately after the collision, thus giving very little time for the passengers to escape to safety, the police said. ■

A firefighter stands near a burnt private bus after it collided with a vehicle in Markapuram district of Andhra Pradesh state, India, March 26, 2026. Over a dozen people died and around 25 were injured when the private bus they were travelling in collided head-on with a vehicle coming from the opposite direction in India's southern state of Andhra Pradesh early on Thursday, a local police official confirmed. (Str/Xinhua)

An injured person is being treated in hospital after a bus collided with a vehicle in Markapuram district of Andhra Pradesh state, India, March 26, 2026. Over a dozen people died and around 25 were injured when the private bus they were travelling in collided head-on with a vehicle coming from the opposite direction in India's southern state of Andhra Pradesh early on Thursday, a local police official confirmed. (IANS via Xinhua)