RANGAREDDY, Telangana: At least 19 people, including 14 women and a 10-month-old baby, were killed and 25 others injured when a gravel-laden tipper lorry collided with a Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) bus near Mirzaguda village in Chevella mandal on Monday morning.
The accident occurred around 6.15 am on the Hyderabad-Bijapur highway. Police said the lorry, carrying gravel from Lakdaram in Patancheru to Manneguda, was overloaded and speeding. Attempting to overtake another vehicle and avoid a pothole, the driver veered into the oncoming bus, which was carrying 72 passengers despite having a capacity of 35.The collision crushed the front of the bus, killing both drivers, the lorry driver, Akash Kamle (24) from Maharashtra, and TSRTC driver Dastagiri Baba, who had been on the Tandur-Hyderabad route for five years. More than 50 tonnes of gravel spilled into the bus, trapping passengers under debris. Eyewitnesses described the scene as “nightmarish,” with villagers rushing to assist before police and rescue teams arrived.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy expressed deep sorrow and directed officials to provide immediate relief. Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar announced an ex gratia of Rs 7 lakh for the families of the deceased and Rs 2 lakh for the injured, with additional compensation under the vehicle insurance policy. Prime Minister
Narendra Modi also announced Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured under the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.
TSRTC stated that preliminary inquiry found no fault with the bus or its driver, attributing the mishap to overspeeding by the heavily loaded tipper. Police have registered a case for causing death by rash and negligent driving, and both magisterial and departmental inquiries have been ordered.
