Hyderabad: Another car falls off flyover

Hyderabad: Less than two months after businessman Kalvak-untla Krishna Milan Rao’s overspeeding car flew of the newly inaugurated Bio Diversity flyover, killing a bystander underneath, the city witnessed a repeat on Tuesday, when a 27-year-old man was killed while his five friends suffered injuries when the car they were travelling fell down from the Bharatnagar flyover in Sanathnagar under the Cyberabad police commissionerate during the wee hours.

The injured persons were shifted to the Gandhi Hospital for treatment. According to police, the incident took place when six friends, including Mohd Sohel, were returning to Borabanda after consuming tea at a hotel.

Mr Sohel, a resident of Pandit Nehru Nagar in Boarabanda, runs a hotel along with his father Md. Shafi. On Monday, at around 10.30 pm, Sohel, along with his friends Irfan, Ashfaq, Ghouse and Sohail, all residents Boar-abanda area, and driver Sunil, went to Balanagar in a car (AP11 R9189).

At around 2 am, they were driving towards Bor-abanda with Sunil being behind the wheels of the car. At around 2.15 am, the overspeeding car, while going towards Erragadda, rammed into the cement barriers of the Bharatna-gar flyover and fell on the ground from at least 25 feet height, and landed in an upside-down position.

The incident of the car falling from the flyover was captured on a CCTV camera installed on the flyover. It captured the railing falling on the ground first, followed by the car.

Luckily, the labourers who were present under the flyover unloading vegetables from auto trolleys had a narrow escape. They immediately pulled out the occupants of the car, of whom, one of them was dead. The local people alerted the police.

Mohan Reddy, sub-inspector, Sanathnagar police, who was on night duty, went to the accident spot and shifted the five injured persons — Sunil, Irfan, Ashfaq, Ghouse and Sohail — to the Gandhi Hospital in an ambulance. The body of Sohel was shifted to the mortuary.

In a video, purportedly recorded after driver Sunil got admitted to the hospital, he was seen saying he steered the vehicle towards the left in order to not hit another vehicle while overtaking and lost control, resulting in the mishap.

Srinu, an auto trolley driver, who was on the spot, told media that he was waiting in the vehicle to unload tomatoes and had a lucky escape. “We come here as a routine to unload vegetables. I was waiting for another vehicle to move so that I could park my auto and start unloading. Suddenly, a car fell down from the flyover above. I would have been under the vehicle in another few minutes and had a very providential escape,” Srinu told media.

Sunil, who works as the driver of a lorry owned by the family of the deceased Sohel, said, “When I parked the lorry and reached home, Sohel called me and informed me that we have to go to Mehdipatnam. Instead, we went towards Balanagar. His four friends were also present. While going, Sohel drove the car and they purchased cigarettes. In the return, I took over the wheels. In order to not hit a vehicle on the flyover, I pulled the steering to the left and lost control of the vehicle.”

Meanwhile, Sanathn-agar police said that the accident appeared to be a result of overspeeding and rash driving.

A case was registered for investigation.

Sohel’s body was handed over to his family after the autopsy was conducted at the Gandhi Hospital mortuary, the police added.