JAGTIAL: IT was a heart wrenching scene at the Jagtial area hospital on Tuesday. Family members of 57 people killed in the bus accident were seen running helter-skelter trying to identify their loved ones. There are 29 others at the hospital, who were injured in the accident, undergoing treatment. The tragedy and their woes were made worse by the space crunch at the hospital.
The bodies were placed under a tin shed outside the hospital and police were trying to identify the victims with the help of family members. Paper slips were placed on the identified bodies. Later in the afternoon, the mortal remains were handed over to relatives and family members.
Bangari Narayana from Rampalli village of Peddapalli mandal is still in a state of shock. Inside the X-ray room, where doctors were attending to him, he was inquiring about his family members. Narayana, along with eight others from his family, were returning from Komuravelli Temple in Vemulawada. They wanted to catch a darshan at the Hanuman temple in Kondagattu before heading back home. Though Narayana is one of the lucky few who managed to escape, he is anxious about the safety of the rest of his family.
Another passenger Vijaya spoke to Express in a semi-conscious state. She said the bus was full but the conductor kept overloading the vehicle. Hundreds of anxious villagers who had gathered at the hospital held a protest demanding the ex-gratia to be increased from `5 lakh to `20 lakh. Consequently, Jagtial and Karimangar police were deployed at the hospital.
IT Minister KT Rama Rao, Transport Minister P Mahender Reddy, Finance Minister Eatela Rajender, government chief whip Koppula Easwar, Nizamabad MP K Kavitha and opposition leaders visited the hospital and offered condolences. KT Rama Rao expressed shock over the incident.
Pained by the loss: Guv
In a message on Tuesday, the Governor said that he was pained by the loss of precious lives. The Governor spoke to the district collector and asked for immediate relief measures be taken up to provide necessary medical treatment to those injured in the bus accident. The Governor offered his heartfelt condolences to the members of the bereaved families, who lost their loved ones
KCR expresses shock
Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao expressed shock over the ghastly road accident at Kondagattu ghat road. In a message, Rao expressed deep condolences on the loss of lives and injuries to others. Rao directed the officials to provide immediate medical assistance to the injured
Hike ex-gratia: Uttam
Expressing shock over the bus accident, Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president N Uttam Kumar Reddy demanded that the State government should announce an ex-gratia of `10 lakh each to the kin of those who died in the accident
Not again, ever: Laxman
BJP state president K Laxman demanded that the State government to ensure that safety measures are initiated and undertaken at Kondagattu so that such ghastly accidents do not happen anymore. The measures, he said, need to be extended across the State