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Hyderabad, Nov 3 (IANS) The Telangana government on Monday ordered a magisterial inquiry into the deaths of 19 people in a bus-truck collision in Rangareddy district and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 7 lakh to the families of each deceased.
Industries and Information Technology Minister D. Sridharbabu, who is the minister in-charge of Rangareddy district, said the transport department has also ordered a departmental inquiry into the accident that occurred at 6.30 am on the Hyderabad-Bijapur highway near Mirzaguda in Chevella mandal, about 60 km from Hyderabad.
He told media persons in Chevella that 19 people were killed and 24 injured in the accident when a tipper truck loaded with gravel collided with a Road Transport Corporation bus coming from the opposite direction.
The bus was coming from Tandur to Hyderabad with 72 people.
He said the majority of deaths were due to gravel falling on passengers as a result of the collision.
Initially the death toll was reported as 20, but the government clarified that 19 people had died. These include 10 women and a 10 month old child.
Drivers of both TGSRTC bus and truck died in the head-on collision.
According to eyewitnesses, passengers sitting in the first six rows were crushed and buried under gravel when the tipper lorry rammed into the bus.
He said the tipper was going at high speed, overtaking several vehicles and suddenly went to the right and collided with an RTC bus coming from the opposite direction.
The tipper, laden with gravel, caused massive damage and casualties.
Among the deceased, a woman was from Karnataka, while the truck driver Akash Kamle was from Maharashtra.
Sridhar Babu, who was present with Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, said that the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) and the state government have jointly announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 7 lakh each for the families of the deceased.
The state government announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each, while the TGSRTC announced an additional Rs 2 lakh.
The injured will be given a compensation of Rs 2 lakh and the government will bear the entire cost of their treatment.
Health Minister Damodar Raja Narasimha also met the injured at PMR Hospital. Except for one person who suffered head injuries, all the others sustained moderate injuries, he said.
Of the injured, 10 were admitted to the government hospital in Vikarabad, while 14 were admitted to the Patnam Mahendra Reddy (PMR) hospital. Some of the injured were later shifted to Hyderabad.
Meanwhile, on the complaint of bus conductor Radha, who survived the accident, police registered a case against the tipper driver under section 106 (1) of the Indian Judicial Code (BNS).
Bus driver Dastagir Baba (35) also died in the accident.
Earlier, heart-wrenching scenes were seen as several injured people trapped under gravel and debris were screaming for help.
Police and other rescue workers had to put in a lot of effort to pull out the injured. Three JCBs were pressed into service to remove the bodies and cut the bus to rescue the injured.
One of the survivors said that the bus left Tandu at 5 am and was filled to full capacity by the time it reached Vikarabad. Many passengers were standing.
The survivor said that a speeding tipper truck coming from the opposite direction hit the bus. The driver and passengers sitting six rows behind him were crushed to death.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has expressed grief over the road accident.
The Chief Minister directed the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police to ensure that all those injured in the bus accident are immediately shifted to Hyderabad and provided the best possible medical treatment.
This is the second major road accident in the Telugu states in less than 10 days.
On October 24, 20 people were burnt to death when a private bus caught fire after crushing a motorcycle lying on the road following an accident near Kurnool city in Andhra Pradesh.
The bus of a private tour operator was going from Hyderabad to Bengaluru.
–IANS
MS/UK