Hyderabad: The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (RTC) has issued an official clarification regarding the devastating road accident that took place near Chevella early Monday morning, claiming 19 lives. The corporation expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy and stated that preliminary investigations revealed the mishap occurred due to the reckless driving of a tipper lorry.
According to the RTC’s statement, the tipper, which was carrying a load of gravel, was speeding and lost control while negotiating a curve, crashing into the RTC bus that was traveling in the opposite direction. “The accident was not due to any fault of the RTC bus or its driver,” the statement clarified, adding that the bus had a valid fitness certificate and the driver had an unblemished service record with no prior accidents.
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The horrific collision took place around 4:40 a.m. near Indiranagar, when the private hire express bus (TS 34TA 6534) bound from Tandur was struck head-on by the tipper. The front portion of the bus was completely mangled by the impact, and the gravel from the overturned lorry poured inside, suffocating several passengers trapped in the wreckage.
Among the 19 victims were five women and 14 men, including bus driver Dastagiri, who died on the spot. Around 25 passengers sustained serious injuries and were immediately rushed to nearby hospitals. RTC Managing Director Nagi Reddy, Hyderabad Zone Executive Director Khusro Shah Khan, Operations In-Charge ED Sridhar, and Rangareddy Regional Manager Srilatha reached the site soon after the accident to oversee rescue efforts and coordinate medical assistance.
Officials stated that special teams were deployed to ensure timely medical support for the injured. Post-mortem examinations were conducted and the bodies handed over to the victims’ families.
Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar announced an ex-gratia payment of ₹5 lakh each to the families of the deceased from the state government and an additional ₹2 lakh from the RTC. The injured will receive ₹2 lakh each as financial assistance. Further compensation will also be provided under the vehicle insurance policy.
Conveying condolences, RTC officials said, “We pray for the eternal peace of those who lost their lives in this tragic accident and for the swift recovery of the injured.”