Four children were among 57 persons killed on Tuesday when an overcrowded Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) bus plunged into a gorge while on its way from the Kondagattu temple in Jagtial district on Tuesday. Forty-three persons were seriously injured in the accident.
At least 43 persons, including the bus driver Srinivas, died on the spot; other victims succumbed to injuries at the Jagtial area hospital and the Karimnagar district headquarters hospital.
The bus, belonging to the Jagtial depot, had more than 100 passengers, who reportedly came to the hillock temple at Kondagattu. It was going from Shanivarampeta village to Jagtial via the Kondagattu ghat road and Muthyampet villages when the accident happened.
Eyewitness accounts said the bus was overcrowded.
Driver loses control of vehicle at curve
Initial reports said the bus driver lost control of the vehicle at the third sharp curve, resulting in the bus plunging into the gorge. Most of the passengers lost balance and fell on the right side of the bus leading to the accident. Many due to suffocation as they fell on one another.
Some four-wheelers following the bus stopped and launched a rescue operation with the help of the locals. The severely injured were rushed to the Jagtial hospital.
Jagtial Collector A. Sharath, SP Sindhu Sharma and Karimnagar Police Commissioner Kamalhasan Reddy, and other officials reached the spot and shifted the injured to the Jagtial hospital.
The bodies have been shifted to the hospital pending post mortem.
K.Chandrashekhar Rao expresses shock
Chief Minister K.Chandrashekhar Rao expressed shock over the road accident. In a message, he expressed his condolences to the families of those killed. He directed the officials concerned to provide immediate medical assistance to the injured. He announced ₹5 lakh as ex-gratia for the family members of the deceased.
Minister for Finance and Civil Supplies Etala Rajender expressed shock and grief over the accident and instructed the officials to take all measures to provide proper medicare. Nizamabad MP Kavitha also expressed grief over the accident.
In separate statements, Congress Legislature Party leader K. Jana Reddy, TPCC chief N. Uttam Kumar Reddy and YSRCP president Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy also expressed shock at the loss of lives.
