Hyderabad, Nov 3 (NationPress) The Telangana state government has initiated a magisterial inquiry into the bus-truck accident that occurred on Monday in Rangareddy district, resulting in the tragic loss of 19 lives. The government also announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 7 lakh for each family of the deceased.

The Minister for Industry and Information Technology, D. Sridharbabu, who oversees Rangareddy district, confirmed that the transport department is conducting a departmental inquiry into the incident that took place around 6:30 a.m. on the Hyderabad-Bijapur highway near Mirzaguda in Chevella mandal, approximately 60 km from Hyderabad.

According to reports, 19 individuals died and 24 others were injured when a tipper truck filled with gravel collided head-on with a Road Transport Corporation bus traveling from the opposite direction.

The bus was carrying 72 passengers and was en route to Hyderabad from Tandur.

The high number of fatalities was attributed to gravel falling on the passengers due to the impact of the collision. Although the initial death toll was reported as 20, the government later clarified that 19 people had died, including 10 women and a 10-month-old baby.

Both the bus and truck drivers lost their lives in the crash. Eyewitnesses reported that passengers seated in the first six rows were buried under gravel as the tipper truck crashed into the bus.

The tipper was reportedly traveling at high speed, overtaking multiple vehicles before veering right and colliding with the RTC bus.

A woman from Karnataka was among the deceased, while the truck driver, Akash Kamle, hailed from Maharashtra.

Minister Sridharbabu, alongside Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, announced that the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) and the state government would offer Rs 7 lakh each to the families of the deceased. The state government will contribute Rs 5 lakh, while TGSRTC will provide an additional Rs 2 lakh.

Injured persons will receive Rs 2 lakh in compensation, and the government will cover all medical expenses.

Health Minister Damodar Raja Narasimha visited the injured at PMR Hospital, stating that all but one person, who sustained a head injury, had minor injuries. Ten of the injured were admitted to the government hospital in Vikarabad, while 14 were taken to PMR Hospital, with some later transferred to Hyderabad.

Following a complaint from bus conductor Radha, who survived the accident, police lodged a case against the tipper driver under section 106 (1) of The Bharat Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Bus driver Dastagir Baba (35) was also among the fatalities. Heart-wrenching scenes unfolded as rescuers struggled to free injured passengers trapped in the wreckage.

Three JCBs were deployed to cut through the bus to recover bodies and rescue the injured.

A survivor recounted that the bus departed from Tandur at 5 a.m. and was full by the time it reached Vikarabad, with several passengers standing. The survivor witnessed the high-speed tipper truck collide with the bus, resulting in the deaths of the driver and passengers seated in the first six rows.

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy expressed his condolences regarding the tragic accident and instructed the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police to ensure that all injured individuals receive immediate transport to Hyderabad for the best medical care.

This incident marks the second significant road accident in the Telugu states within less than ten days, following an earlier tragedy on October 24, where twenty people lost their lives in a bus fire after it ran over a motorbike near Kurnool town in Andhra Pradesh.