- Twenty people died after a bus collided with a gravel truck on Hyderabad-Bijapur highway
- The accident occurred in Rangareddy district, about 60 km from Hyderabad, Telangana
- The bus carried 70 passengers from Tandur to Hyderabad when the collision happened
Twenty people have died, and several others have been injured after a passenger bus collided with a gravel-laden truck on the Hyderabad-Bijapur highway this morning. The accident took place in Telangana's Rangareddy district, about 60 km from Hyderabad.
The bus, belonging to the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation, reportedly had 70 passengers on board. It was travelling from Tandur in Vikarabad district to Hyderabad when it collided with a truck laden with construction material. The gravel loaded on the truck fell into the bus, burying several passengers.
The passengers killed in the accident include a 10-month-old baby, 10 women, and the drivers of both heavy vehicles. Several passengers injured in the accident were shifted to a government hospital. The condition of some of the injured is critical, reports have said.
Heartbreaking scenes showed people buried in the gravel screaming for help. Police and rescue workers struggled to pull out the injured. Rescue teams had to cut through the bus to retrieve the bodies.
The driver and the six rows behind his seat were the worst-hit, and most passengers in this part of the bus died on the spot.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has expressed sorrow over the road accident and has directed officials to reach the spot immediately and support rescue and relief operations.
Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar has spoken to the road transport corporation's Managing Director, Y Nagireddy, regarding the reasons for the accident and asked the Rangareddy district collector to ensure proper treatment for the injured.
KT Rama Rao, working president of Telangana's main opposition BRS, expressed his condolences for the families of those killed in the accident. "The government must respond immediately and provide relief to the families of the dead and to the injured. Victims should be given the best possible medical care. A full investigation must be carried out into the causes of this horrific accident," he said.
