At least 44 people were burned alive when a luxury passenger bus caught fire in a southern Indian state early today, October 30.

The bus caught fire while carrying more than 50 passengers from Bangalore to Hyderabad, the capital of the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Seven people, including the driver, managed to break open the doors and escape.

Scene of car fire.

Police said the Volvo car hit an underground power line, causing the car's fuel tank to catch fire.

“The fuel tank exploded and caught fire. Before the passengers could realise what was happening, the fire had engulfed the entire bus,” a resident of a nearby village told The Hindu.

Most of the passengers were sleeping when the incident happened.

A local police spokesman said the driver and co-driver were arrested while “trying to flee”. Three other passengers were taken to a local hospital.

In 2008, more than 60 people were killed when a passenger bus caught fire in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

According to India's National Crime Records Bureau, more than 130,000 people died in road accidents in 2011. Observers say bus accidents are common in India and are often caused by poorly maintained vehicles, overloading and reckless driving.

According to Dantri