24 dead in Telangana road crash; PM Modi expresses grief

A quiet Monday morning in Telangana turned tragic when a tipper lorry laden with gravel collided head-on with a state-run RTC bus near Chevella in Ranga Reddy district, leaving at least 24 people dead and many others injured in one of the region’s deadliest road accidents in recent memory.

The impact of the crash was devastating — the truck’s gravel spilled over the bus, crushing parts of it and trapping passengers inside. The bus, carrying 72 commuters from Tandur to Hyderabad, was reduced to a mangled shell as rescue teams battled time to save those pinned under the debris.

Earthmovers were brought in, and officials worked through the morning to pull survivors from the wreckage. Among the dead was the bus driver, who had no time to swerve away from the speeding lorry.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy, calling it a heartbreaking loss. “I extend my deepest condolences to the bereaved families and pray for the speedy recovery of the injured,” he said in a post on X. The Prime Minister announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the families of those killed and Rs 50,000 each for the injured from the PM National Relief Fund.

Telangana chief minister A. Revanth Reddy and transport minister Ponnam Prabhakar too mourned the loss, with the state government declaring Rs 5 lakh compensation for the kin of each deceased and Rs 2 lakh for those injured. The chief minister directed the chief secretary and the DGP to oversee rescue operations personally and ensure that the injured were rushed to Hyderabad for advanced medical care.

Standing at the crash site, minister Prabhakar called the tragedy “a dark morning for Telangana,” as families gathered in anguish, waiting for news of their loved ones.

What began as a routine morning commute ended in unimaginable grief — a reminder of the fragility of life on India’s roads, and the countless stories cut short in the blink of an eye.

With PTI inputs