57 dead, 32 hurt in India’s worst bus tragedy in Telangana

HYDERABAD: In probably the worst-ever bus accident in the country, 57 people, including 39 women and four children, were killed and 31 injured, six of them critically, after an overcrowded Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) bus swerved off a ghat road and hurtled 30ft down onto a valley at Sanivarampet village in Jagtial district on Tuesday. The driver of the bus is among those dead.

The ill-fated bus belonging to the Jagtial depot was jam-packed with 87 passengers.It was returning to Jagtial from Kondagattu, the hill shrine of Sri Anjaneya Swamy. The mishap occurred when bus driver Srinivas lost control over the wheel near Sanivarampet. Srinivas, who had received a commendation certificate from TSRTC on Independence Day this year for the meritorious service, had taken the ghat road to save just 2km distance.
Srinivas reportedly failed to slow down the vehicle as he failed to see a speed-breaker. When the bus hit the bump at speed, Srinivas lost control over the wheel, resulting in the mishap. The vehicle turned turtle four times before falling onto the valley. It is believed that most of the passengers died due to suffocation as they fell over one another. Jagtial depot manager Hanumantha Rao has been suspended following the accident.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh has also expressed condolences.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi has expressed deep shock over the incident.

Telangana minister and CM KCR's son KT Rama Rao has also expressed grief over the incident.

The state government was quick to announce an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of the deceased. The TSRTC also announced compensation of Rs 3 lakh each to the kin of the dead. Those injured would be provided free medical treatment.
Municipal and IT minister KT Rama Rao, who rushed to the spot, supervised rescue and relief operations by district officials. The critically injured were shifted to Hyderabad and Karimnagar for better treatment. Bodies were retrieved from the valley and shifted to the Jagtial government hospital for identification and postmortem. The police have so far identified 45 of the deceased.
President Ramnath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao, AP chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, YSRCP president YS Jaganmohan Reddy and several other leaders expressed grief over the fatal accident.
Modi described the tragedy as ‘shocking beyond words’. “The bus accident in Telangana’s Jagtial district is shocking beyond words. Anguished by the loss of lives. My thoughts and solidarity with the bereaved families. I pray that the injured recover quickly,” the PM tweeted. Some of the passengers were returning from the hill shrine, which they visited on Tuesday.