At least 20 people were killed and about two dozen others injured early Monday when a truck carrying stone chips collided head-on with a passenger bus in Telangana state, southern India, local officials said.
The state-run transport bus, carrying around 70 passengers to Hyderabad, was hit near Chevalla town, said district official K Chandrakala. The front of the bus was completely crushed, trapping several passengers inside. Rescue teams and police rushed to the scene to pull victims from the wreckage, reports AP/UNB.
Rajendra Prasad, superintendent of Chevalla Hospital, said 20 bodies were sent to the mortuary and would be handed over to families after identification.
The accident came just a day after another deadly crash in Rajasthan, where a minibus carrying pilgrims rammed into a parked truck late Sunday, killing at least 15 people and injuring two others.
Officials said the pilgrims were returning to Jodhpur after offering prayers at Kolayat. Among the dead were 10 women, four children and the driver, according to government official Shweta Chauhan.
Senior police officer Kundan Kanwaria said the driver appeared to have been overtaking another vehicle when the crash occurred. “It seems he couldn’t apply the brakes before hitting the truck,” he said.
Authorities said poorly lit parked trucks remain a major cause of fatal road crashes in India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, expressed condolences to the victims’ families.
Earlier this month, another tragedy in Rajasthan killed at least 20 people when a suspected short circuit sparked a fire on a passenger bus.
