Truck rams into bus in southern India, killing at least 20 people

A tragic road accident in southern India has left at least 20 people dead and around two dozen injured. The incident occurred early Monday when a truck loaded with concrete stone chips collided head-on with a state-run passenger bus near Chevella, a town in Telangana state. The bus, carrying approximately 70 passengers, was en route to Hyderabad when the collision took place. The impact severely mangled the front of the bus, trapping several passengers inside. Heaps of stone chips from the truck were scattered inside the bus, burying at least one passenger alive. Rescue teams faced significant challenges in cutting through the wreckage to retrieve the bodies. Among the deceased were the drivers of both vehicles and three college-going siblings from Tandur town. The grieving father of the siblings, Yellaiah Goud, expressed his anguish, saying, ‘What will I do without my daughters?’ The bus conductor, Radha, who sustained head injuries, described the collision as producing an ‘ear-shattering noise.’ Meanwhile, in a separate incident in Rajasthan, a drunk driver lost control of his speeding truck, hitting multiple vehicles in Jaipur and killing at least 13 people. This accident followed another deadly crash in Rajasthan just a day earlier, where a minibus collided with a parked truck, killing 15 people. These incidents highlight the ongoing road safety challenges in India, where haphazardly parked vehicles and poor highway conditions often lead to fatal accidents.