Telangana bus accident: Conductor side passengers survived, driver side killed, recalls survivor
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Hyderabad (PTI): Most passengers seated behind the bus driver were killed, while those behind the conductor survived the deadly accident in Telangana that claimed 19 lives, one of the survivors said on Monday.
Recalling the horrific incident, the survivor said he was dozing in the bus when a loud thud jolted him awake, leaving him half-buried in gravel.
“Several people were buried under the gravel. The tipper lorry came from the opposite direction. I was seated on the left side of the bus. We managed to climb out, but those who were sitting behind the driver couldn’t make it, some of them died. I was seated three rows behind the conductor,” he told the media.
He further said he opened a window and escaped, with six others following. Later, another person broke the window panes to free more passengers.
The accident erased entire generations and shattered many families.
According to Sheikh Amer, his friend’s wife Saleha Begum (19), her father Sheikh Khalid Hussain (50) and her 41-day-old baby girl, Zahera Fathima, all perished.
The family was returning to Hyderabad to celebrate the baby's birth after showing the newborn to relatives in Tandur.
“Saleha was returning to the city after showing her newborn to relatives in Tandur. None of us imagined that joy would turn to grief so suddenly,” Sheikh Amer told PTI videos.
Saleha’s husband, Waheed Hussain, who drives a truck for a living, was away on duty when the tragedy struck.
Khalid Hussain was the sole breadwinner of the family, he said and urged the government to lend a helping hand to the bereaved family.
Similarly, tragedy struck a family of Tandur town in Ranga Reddy district in Telangana as it lost three daughters in the accident.
Nandini, Saipriya and Tanusha were killed in the accident, leaving the family distraught.
The trio were studying in college in Hyderabad.
Ambika, mother of the girls, wept inconsolably at the government hospital at Chevella, where the bodies were taken following the accident.
“These three daughters are going to Hyderabad. They are studying there.they wanted to yesterday itself. but they did not go. They should have gone yesterday itself,” Ambika, mother of children- one son and four daughters told PTI Videos.
A teenage survivor, Ashok, who suffered minor injuries, recounted the horrifying scene of his father's death.
Ashok and his father, Hanumantha (45), boarded the bus at Kodangal to travel to a hospital in Hyderabad for his ear problem.
"My father was sitting next to me. After the tipper hit the bus. Several people fell on my father and also huge quantities of gravel."
Ashok was later saved after some people broke open the window.
A doctor at the government hospital in Chevella said the accident victims suffered fractures, facial, abdominal and leg injuries.
The injured persons were undergoing treatment, including administration of IV fluid, TT injections and referred to major state-run hospitals in Hyderabad.
According to TV visuals, half the bus was filled with gravel, trapping passengers inside.
The authorities deployed heavy earth-moving equipment to clear the wreckage of the ill-fated bus.
Chevella Inspector Sridhar sustained minor injuries during a rescue operation after an excavator ran over his leg, a police official said.
A senior official of the Transport Department said the tipper has the capacity to carry 35 tons of material. However, they are verifying if it was overloaded.
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Watch: Tusker rescued from 20-foot well in Sullia after 16-hour operation
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Mangaluru (PTI): A lone tusker that had fallen into an abandoned 20-foot-deep well in Dakshina Kannada district was successfully rescued after forest officials constructed an earthen ramp, allowing the animal to walk out safely, officials said.
The incident occurred when the elephant, aged about 30 years and roaming in the forested Sampaje range of Sullia taluk in the Western Ghats, accidentally fell into the well in the early hours of Monday and was rescued at around 4 pm the same day, they said.
Initially, when the operation began, officials suspected it was a calf. But midway through the rescue, as it made its way out, they realised it was actually an elephant.
The animal remained trapped inside the well for nearly 16 hours before being rescued, officials added.
Huge relief, the elephant is out of the well.
— Harish Upadhya (@harishupadhya) April 13, 2026
The animal has moved into nearby plantations instead of heading back to the forest. Forest teams remain on high alert.#ElephantRescue #Karnataka https://t.co/ZCLU6COXTv pic.twitter.com/begPVx1oki
According to officials, acting swiftly, the Karnataka Forest Department created a gradual ramp from the bottom of the well to ground level using earth-moving equipment, ensuring a safe exit path for the animal.
After spending about 16 hours inside the well, the elephant walked out safely using the ramp and disappeared into the nearby forest, officials said.
A wild elephant trapped in a well in Peraje, Sullia. Rescue underway. Forest officials on-site for hours, digging to bring the animal out safely. Prayers for the gentle giant. #elephants #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/GZ7yp7pA8q
— Harish Upadhya (@harishupadhya) April 13, 2026
Forest department officials told PTI that the tusker did not sustain any injuries despite the fall and remained healthy and alert throughout the operation.
They monitored the animal as it climbed the ramp and returned to its natural habitat.
The timely intervention prevented any harm to the elephant and highlighted the swift response of the forest team in wildlife rescue operations in the Western Ghats region, which is known for human-elephant conflict incidents.
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