Tragic Bus-Truck Collision in Telangana Claims 19 Lives: What Happened?
Devastating Accident in Rangareddy District
In a tragic incident on Monday, the Telangana government has initiated a magisterial inquiry following a catastrophic bus-truck collision in Rangareddy district that resulted in the loss of 19 lives. An ex gratia payment of Rs 7 lakh has been announced for the families of the victims.
D. Sridharbabu, the Minister for Industry and Information Technology, who oversees the Rangareddy district, reported that the transport department is also conducting a departmental investigation into the accident, which occurred around 6:30 a.m. on the Hyderabad-Bijapur highway near Mirzaguda, approximately 60 km from Hyderabad.
The collision involved a tipper truck loaded with gravel crashing into a Road Transport Corporation bus traveling in the opposite direction, leading to 19 fatalities and 24 injuries. The bus was carrying 72 passengers from Tandur to Hyderabad.
The high number of casualties was attributed to gravel falling onto passengers during the impact. Initially, reports indicated 20 deaths, but the government later confirmed that 19 individuals, including 10 women and a 10-month-old infant, lost their lives.
Both drivers of the bus and the truck were among the deceased. Eyewitness accounts revealed that passengers seated in the first six rows were severely injured or killed as the truck penetrated the bus.
Witnesses noted that the tipper was speeding and overtaking other vehicles before veering right and colliding head-on with the bus. The heavy load of gravel exacerbated the destruction and casualties.
Among the deceased was a woman from Karnataka, while the truck driver, Akash Kamle, hailed from Maharashtra. Minister Sridhar Babu, alongside Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, announced the compensation package, which includes Rs 5 lakh from the state government and an additional Rs 2 lakh from TGSRTC for each family of the deceased.
Injured individuals will receive Rs 2 lakh in compensation, and the government will cover their medical expenses. Health Minister Damodar Raja Narasimha visited the injured at PMR Hospital, reporting that most sustained minor injuries, except for one individual with a head injury.
Ten injured passengers were admitted to a government hospital in Vikarabad, while 14 were taken to PMR Hospital, with some later transferred to Hyderabad for further treatment.
Following a complaint from bus conductor Radha, who survived the crash, police have filed a case against the tipper driver under section 106 (1) of The Bharat Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The bus driver, Dastagir Baba, aged 35, also perished in the accident.
Heart-wrenching scenes unfolded as rescuers struggled to free injured passengers trapped under gravel and debris. Three JCBs were deployed to cut through the bus to retrieve bodies and assist the injured.
A survivor recounted that the bus departed from Tandur at 5 a.m. and was at full capacity by the time it reached Vikarabad, with several passengers standing. The survivor described how a speeding tipper truck collided with the bus, resulting in the deaths of the driver and passengers seated behind him.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy expressed his sorrow over the incident and instructed the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police to ensure that all injured individuals receive immediate transport to Hyderabad for optimal medical care.
This incident marks the second significant road accident in the Telugu states within a span of ten days, following a previous tragedy on October 24, where 20 individuals perished in a bus fire after an accident near Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh.