7 passengers killed, 14 injured as lorry rams bus at Karimnagar

Karimnagar: Seven passengers travelling in an RTC bus were killed and 15 others critically injured when a speeding lorry coming from the opposite direction collided head-on with the bus near Chenjerla village in Manakondur mandal in Karimnagar on Tuesday morning.

The incident took place when the TSRTC bus was proceeding towards Karimnagar from Huzurabad in the morning. The speeding truck coming from the opposite direction rammed into the bus killing the passengers sitting on the right side of the bus. 

The victims have been identified as Ailoni Nagaraju of Geesukonda in Warangal, Rayabar-apu Subashini of Gopa-lapuram, Warangal, Zakir Hussain from Musheerabad in Hyder-abad, Hariprasad of Jammikunta, Karim-nagar, Pilli Lachhavva of Munjampalli, Karimnagar, Perala Prabhakar from Saidapur in Karimnagar, railway employee Rajeshwar Patel of Kazipet of Warangal. 

Umeer of Chenjerla village is in a coma having suffered a head injury after being hit by a rod that separated from the bus while he was passing by. Bodies were scattered on the ground. Villagers rushed to the spot first and shifted the injured to hospitals in Karimnagar. Fifteen persons including the driver of the lorry were shifted to various hospitals for treatment in Karimnagar. The condition of four of them is said to be critical.

Finance minister Etela Rajender visited the accident spot and supervised the shifting of bodies and injured to hospitals. He said the lorry driver overtook another lorry and collided with the RTC bus. He expressed his shock and grief at the tragedy and said government will provide for the survivors. 

Karimnagar police commissioner V B Kamalasan Reddy who supervised the situation at the accident spot, blamed the driver who was speeding with a lorry loaded with poultry fodder. 

Major road accidents have been taking place in and around Manakondur. Recently, a family travelling by car rammed into a stationary truck; four persons returning to Godavarikhani after distributing marriage cards in Hyderabad were killed. Mr Kamalasan Reddy said steps will be taken to control accidents on this road.

There is heavy traffic between Karimnagar city and Manakondur. The Manakondur road proceeds towards  Warangal after cutting form Rajiv Rahadari. There was a proposal to convert this two-lane road into four-lane to avoid frequent road accidents.

Granite laden trucks frequently ply on this road on their way to Kakinada port in AP.