Telangana bus tragedy: Death toll mounts to 57

One of worst highway tragedies in the state

HYDERABAD: An overcrowded staterun bus swerved off the road and hurtled down the hillside into a valley in Telangana’s Jagtial district Tuesday, killing 57 people and wounding around 30 others in one of the worst highway tragedies in the state, police said.

The deceased included 36 women and five children. Some of the victims were pilgrims returning to Jagtial from the temple town of Kondagattu after offering prayers at the famous Hanuman temple.

The accident involving the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) bus occurred on the ghat section of the road near Shanivarapet village, about 200 km from state capital Hyderabad.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the tragedy as “shocking beyond words”.

Jagtial Superintendent of Police Sindhu Sharma said: “57 persons died in the accident. Around 30 others, who were injured, are undergoing treatment in different hospitals.”

Over 90 people were travelling in the bus and were proceeding to Jagtial town when the accident occurred around 11 am, police said.

The driver of the bus was among the deceased.

Shrieks and wails pierced the valley at the scene of the accident as women survivors mourned the death of their dear ones.

Locals, who were the first to pull out Rescue officials at the accident site where a state-owned Road Transport Corporation bus skidded into a deep gorge, at Jagtial district

the survivors and bodies, alleged that the road that was earlier closed some time back over safety issues was reopened at the insistence of TRTC officials to save on fuel as it brought down the travel distance between Kondagattu and Jagtial.

Police and revenue officials rescued the injured with the help of locals and rushed them to hospitals. They also pulled out bodies from the mangled remains of the bus. The injured were rushed to hospitals in Jagtial and neighbouring Karimnagar district, police said.

It is suspected that the driver lost control near a speed breaker resulting in the accident. However, the exact reason is under investigation, Jagtial Superintendent of Police Sindhu Sharma said.

Telangana caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao expressed shock at the tragedy and announced a financial assistance of Rs five lakh to the families of each of the deceased.