HYDERABAD: A narrow, congested and potholed road, a blind curve, an overloaded tipper speeding downhill and a bus trying in vain to swerve aside — it was, according to survivors and eyewitnesses, a perfect storm of negligence and poor infrastructure that led to Monday’s horrific accident near Chevella. On this stretch, they said, it was never a question of if but when such a tragedy would occur.
The collision on the Hyderabad–Bijapur Highway left behind scenes too painful to forget. First responders found a woman lying amid twisted metal and gravel, still clutching her baby in a final, protective embrace, a haunting image that captured the human cost of the disaster that unfolded in seconds.
A resident of a nearby village who rushed to the spot recalled the horror. “When police were clearing the gravel, I saw a woman holding her baby. Both were dead,” he said. He added that accidents are frequent along this stretch. “Six months ago, there was another crash barely a kilometre away that killed four and injured eight. This is one of the busiest yet narrowest roads in Telangana. On weekends, thousands of vehicles pass through here towards Ananthagiri Hills. From Sunday night to Monday morning, traffic is bumper-to-bumper. Every day, we see at least one two-wheeler accident.”
Radha (45), the conductor of the ill-fated RTC bus, said everything happened in seconds. “Before we could react, the tipper carrying gravel came at high speed and hit us head-on. The driver tried to steer the bus aside, but the lorry was uncontrollable,” she said.
Moments before the collision, the bus had stopped at Chittempalli to pick up a woman passenger. “I had just issued her a ticket and sat down when the impact happened. Most of the passengers on the driver’s side were killed. Those of us on the left, including me, somehow survived,” she said.
Radha said the bus, carrying around 72 passengers — including students, police personnel and employees — was moving at a moderate speed. “The tipper was the one speeding at around 80 to 90 kmph. We had no time to react,” she added.
The sister of a victim, Gogula Gunnamma (60) from Kummaragudem in Vikarabad, said Gunnamma and her daughter-in-law had travelled to Tandur to visit her daughter and were returning to their home in Yousufguda, Hyderabad, when tragedy struck. “We learnt about the accident around 8.30 am. A relative passing by the site recognised them and informed us they were among the victims. We were devastated,” she said tearfully.
Road condition blamed
Narasimha, a survivor travelling from Chittempalli to Chevella, said the bus and tipper were both overloaded. “The road is in poor condition, and there’s a blind curve at that point. The lorry came fast, hit us and buried the bus under gravel. Many were trapped,” he said, adding that he was seated beside the conductor and escaped with minor injuries. “It was like a miracle. I don’t know how I survived,” he said.
Among the victims were three members each from two families — including a newly married couple and their months-old baby — and three sisters. All six had missed their train to Hyderabad and boarded the bus instead, a decision that proved fatal.
