15 killed in bus-truck collision in Telangana's Rangareddy

Hyderabad, Nov 3 (IANS) At least 15 people were killed and several others injured in a collision between an RTC bus and a truck in Telangana’s Rangareddy district on Monday.

The accident occurred on the Hyderabad-Bijapur highway near Mirzaguda in Chevella mandal around 6.30 a.m.

The bus, which was coming to Hyderabad from Tandur, was rammed into by a concrete-laden truck coming from the opposite direction.

According to eyewitnesses, some passengers were buried under the concrete as the entire load fell on the bus after the collision.

Thirteen passengers of the bus died in the collision. The deceased include drivers of both the bus and the truck.

The bus belonging to Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) was reportedly carrying 70 people.

Several passengers were injured and they were shifted to the government hospital at Chevella, where the condition of three of them is stated to be critical.

Heart-wrenching scenes were witnessed as several injured people trapped in the rubble were crying for help. Police, with the help of locals, pulled out the injured.

Three JCBs were pressed into service as part of the efforts to pull out the injured.

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has expressed grief over the road accident. He directed the officials to immediately reach the accident site and undertake relief measures.

Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar ordered officials to launch relief measures and provide the best possible medical care to the injured.

This is the second major road accident in the Telugu states in less than 10 days.

Twenty people were burnt to death when a private bus caught fire after running over a motorbike lying on the road following an accident near Kurnool town of Andhra Pradesh on October 24. The bus belonging to a private tour operator was on its way to Bengaluru from Hyderabad

--IANS

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