30 injured as bus overturns on NH-44 in Andhra Pradesh's Anantapur
Synopsis
Three road incidents on National Highway 44 within 24 hours — a bus rollover in Anantapur injuring 30, a bus fire at Hyderabad's busiest terminal, and a multi-vehicle pile-up in Nizamabad — put a spotlight on the persistent safety crisis on one of India's longest and most accident-prone highways.
Key Takeaways
A private bus overturned on NH-44 near Vennedoddi, Gooty mandal in Anantapur district on Tuesday, 26 May , injuring around 30 passengers .
The bus was travelling from Hyderabad to Anantapur ; the driver lost control while avoiding an oncoming lorry.
Passengers said the bus flipped three times before landing in agricultural fields; 10 of the injured are in critical condition.
A TGSRTC bus caught fire at MGBS, Hyderabad on the same day; passengers evacuated safely and the fire was doused before spreading.
A multi-vehicle accident on NH-44 in Nizamabad on Monday evening left two persons critically injured and seven cars badly damaged.
Around 30 passengers were injured on Tuesday, 26 May after a private travel bus overturned on National Highway 44 near Vennedoddi in Gooty mandal, Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh. The bus was en route from Hyderabad to Anantapur when the driver lost control while attempting to avoid an oncoming lorry, sending the vehicle into a series of rolls before it crashed into agricultural fields.
How the Accident Unfolded
Passengers who survived the crash said the bus flipped at least three times before coming to rest in the fields bordering the highway. The driver's sudden swerve, intended to avert a head-on collision with a lorry travelling in the opposite direction, is believed to have caused the vehicle to topple. National Highway 44, which runs the length of the country from Srinagar to Kanyakumari, has been the site of repeated accidents in this stretch due to heavy freight traffic.
Condition of the Injured
Police and emergency responders rushed to the site upon receiving information and launched a relief operation. All 30 injured passengers were shifted to Anantapur District Hospital. According to hospital officials, the condition of 10 of the injured is stated to be critical. A case has been registered and an investigation is under way.
Bus Fire Averted at Hyderabad's MGBS
Separately on the same day, a potential tragedy was averted at Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station (MGBS) in Hyderabad — described as the largest and busiest bus terminal in Telangana — when a bus belonging to the Gadwal depot of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) caught fire while stationed at the platform. Panicked passengers who had boarded the bus evacuated quickly after bystanders raised the alarm. An alert bus conductor, aided by others, doused the fire with water before it could spread. TGSRTC officials have launched an inquiry into the cause of the fire.
Multi-Vehicle Pile-Up in Nizamabad
A separate multi-vehicle accident on Monday evening on National Highway 44 near Chandrayanpalli in Indalwai mandal, Nizamabad district, Telangana, left two persons critically injured and several others hurt. According to police, a lorry travelling from Hyderabad to Nizamabad had stopped on the road after a tyre puncture. A DCM vehicle then rammed into it from behind. Simultaneously, a lorry loaded with coconuts overturned while trying to avoid the two stationary vehicles. A further lorry, approaching from the rear, then ploughed into seven cars whose drivers had been asked to wait for road clearance, badly damaging all of them. The injured were taken to the government hospital in Nizamabad.
Taken together, the three incidents on NH-44 within a 24-hour window underscore persistent road-safety concerns on one of India's most heavily trafficked national highways.
Point of View
And the combination of mixed traffic, inadequate median barriers, and fatigued drivers creates a predictable recipe for rollovers and pile-ups. The Anantapur crash, where a bus flipped three times trying to avoid a lorry, points to a lane-discipline failure that engineering solutions — rumble strips, median barriers, overtaking restrictions for heavy vehicles — could mitigate. Ten critical patients from a single bus accident also raises questions about emergency response capacity at district hospitals along the corridor. State road safety authorities have data on high-risk stretches; the question is whether enforcement and infrastructure upgrades are keeping pace with the traffic load.
NationPress
10 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What caused the bus accident in Anantapur on 26 May?
The driver of the Hyderabad-to-Anantapur private bus lost control while swerving to avoid an oncoming lorry on NH-44 near Vennedoddi in Gooty mandal, causing the bus to overturn. Passengers said the vehicle flipped three times before crashing into agricultural fields.
How many people were injured in the Anantapur bus accident?
Around 30 passengers were injured. All were shifted to Anantapur District Hospital, where 10 of them are reported to be in critical condition.
What happened at MGBS Hyderabad on the same day?
A TGSRTC bus belonging to the Gadwal depot caught fire while parked at the platform at Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station, Hyderabad. Passengers evacuated quickly after bystanders raised the alarm, and a bus conductor helped douse the fire with water. TGSRTC officials are investigating the cause.
What was the Nizamabad accident on NH-44?
On Monday evening, a chain-reaction crash on NH-44 near Chandrayanpalli in Indalwai mandal, Nizamabad district, involved a tyre-punctured lorry, a DCM vehicle that rammed it, an overturning coconut lorry, and a fourth lorry that struck seven waiting cars. Two persons were critically injured.
Which highway was common to these accidents?
All three incidents occurred on or near National Highway 44, one of India's longest highways running from Srinagar to Kanyakumari, highlighting recurring road-safety concerns on this corridor through Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
