Overview
- Officials confirmed 19 fatalities and 22 injured after a head‑on collision near Mirjaguda/Chevella around 7 a.m., with both drivers among the dead.
- About 72 people were aboard the Hyderabad‑bound TSRTC service, well above capacity, and many victims were seated on the right side behind the driver.
- The truck’s load poured into the passenger compartment, causing suffocation and crushing injuries as locals, off‑duty police and rescue teams cut open the bus and used an earthmover to reach those trapped.
- The chief minister ordered a formal probe, Telangana announced Rs 5 lakh from the state plus Rs 2 lakh from TSRTC for each deceased and Rs 2 lakh for the injured, and the prime minister announced Rs 2 lakh for the dead and Rs 50,000 for the injured.
- Investigators are examining overspeeding and road conditions on the two‑lane stretch, with reports of potholes and delayed widening, as the human toll includes three sisters, multiple students and a 41‑day‑old infant.