Truck-bus crash in Telangana kills 20; PM mourns, aids
A speeding truck loaded with gravel crashed into an RTC bus in Telangana, spilling debris and causing a deadly tragedy.
HYDERABAD: In one of the deadliest road accidents to strike Telangana in recent years, at least 19 people — including 14 women and a 10-month-old baby — lost their lives when a gravel-laden tipper lorry slammed into a TGSRTC hire bus near Mirzaguda village in Chevella mandal of Ranga Reddy district on Monday morning. Another 25 passengers were injured, several of them critically, in what rescuers described as a “scene of devastation and heartbreak.”
The tragedy unfolded around 6:15 a.m. on the Hyderabad–Bijapur highway, a busy stretch that connects several small towns to the state capital. Police said the tipper lorry, carrying gravel from Lakdaram in Patancheru to Manneguda, was heavily overloaded and being driven at an unsafe speed. The driver reportedly attempted to overtake another vehicle and, in trying to avoid a pothole, lost control of the truck. The lorry swerved sharply into the opposite lane and ploughed head-on into the oncoming RTC bus, which was carrying 72 passengers — more than double its seating capacity of 35.
The collision was so powerful that the front of the bus was completely crushed, leaving it unrecognizable. Both drivers — 24-year-old Akash Kamle from Maharashtra, who was driving the tipper, and RTC driver Dastagiri Baba, a veteran on the Tandur–Hyderabad route — were killed instantly. The impact also caused the truck’s massive load of gravel, weighing over 50 tonnes, to spill over the bus and the road. The permissible load for such a vehicle is only about 30 to 35 tonnes, officials said.
Within moments, chaos and despair gripped the scene. Eyewitnesses recounted how the bus overturned and was buried under a mountain of gravel. Many passengers were trapped, gasping for air beneath the heavy debris. Local villagers rushed to help even before the police and emergency teams arrived, using their bare hands and farm tools to dig through the gravel and pull survivors out.
Chevella police reached the spot by 7 a.m. and immediately brought in earthmovers and JCBs to clear the wreckage. Rescue operations went on for hours, with workers battling to free those pinned inside the mangled remains of the bus. One rescue worker said the sight would “haunt him forever.” Among the most heartbreaking moments, he recalled, was discovering a mother still clutching her infant in her arms when the debris was finally cleared. The baby was found alive but the father, who had sustained severe injuries, later died while receiving treatment.
The injured were rushed to Vikarabad Government Hospital and PMR Hospital in Chevella. Doctors said many victims suffered multiple fractures, head injuries, and internal bleeding, with some in critical condition. District officials and local leaders visited the hospitals to monitor the treatment of survivors.
Preliminary investigations suggest that reckless driving and overloading were the main causes of the crash. Police have registered a case of negligence and said they will examine whether the lorry’s owner violated transport regulations. “This tragedy could have been avoided if the truck had followed weight and speed limits,” said an officer at the site.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives and announced an ex gratia of ₹2 lakh each for the families of the deceased and ₹50,000 for the injured. Telangana Chief Minister also extended condolences and ordered a thorough investigation.
What began as an ordinary Monday morning commute turned into an unimaginable nightmare — one that left families shattered, a village in grief, and a state mourning the heavy price of one moment’s recklessness.