Overview
- Officials confirm 19 fatalities, including both drivers and an infant, with at least 22 others injured after a gravel-laden tipper struck a TSRTC bus near Mirjaguda.
- Gravel poured into the passenger compartment, trapping commuters as rescuers cut open the bus and used earthmovers; doctors cited severe head injuries and suffocation among causes of death.
- The bus was carrying roughly 72 passengers against a capacity of about 50, with several boarding after missing early-morning trains to Hyderabad.
- The Prime Minister announced Rs 2 lakh ex gratia from PMNRF, while Telangana set Rs 5 lakh plus Rs 2 lakh from TSRTC for each deceased and Rs 2 lakh for the injured, with an official probe underway.
- A preliminary inquiry cites the tipper’s excessive speed and loss of control while overtaking; authorities note the bus had valid fitness, and locals highlight the Chevella–Tandur stretch as accident-prone with widening delayed by NGT-linked petitions.