19 Killed In Truck-Bus Collision Near Chevella

At least 19 passengers were killed and several others seriously injured when a gravel-laden truck collided head-on with a TSRTC bus near Mirzaguda village in Chevella mandal of Rangareddy district on Monday morning.

The accident occurred on the Hyderabad-Bijapur National Highway when the speeding tipper truck rammed into a bus from the Tandur depot. It was the bus's maiden trip, and many passengers had boarded for the first run. As it approached Mirzaguda, the truck crashed into it, overturning and dumping its entire load of gravel onto the bus.

The impact completely crushed the front portion of the bus, trapping several passengers under tons of gravel. Both the bus driver and the truck driver died instantly.

Authorities and rescue teams rushed to the scene and launched extensive relief operations, deploying three JCBs to clear the debris and extricate the survivors.

Many injured passengers were shifted to the Chevella Government Hospital, where doctors said that the condition of five remains critical.

At the time of the crash, 72 passengers were reportedly on board, mostly students and workers. The deceased included ten women, eight men and a child. The police have so far identified 13 of the victims.

Witnesses described the scene as horrifying, with cries for help echoing amid twisted metal and heaps of gravel.