On the morning of Monday, November 3, 2025, a tragic road accident unfolded near Chevella in Telangana’s Rangareddy district, claiming multiple lives and leaving many injured. A head-on collision occurred between a tipper lorry carrying gravel and a Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) public transport bus on the Mirjaguda–Khanapur road, shattering the quiet rhythm of early commuters and creating a scene of devastation that has deeply affected families and communities.
Among the passengers was 45-year-old Radha, a conductor who had been working the Tandur–Hyderabad bus route since 2010. Her routine was a familiar one: waking before dawn, preparing meals for her family, and setting off for her 4:40 a.m. shift. That Monday morning was meant to be no different. Radha had prepared lunch for herself and her niece Shravani, who often accompanied her on the journey. After being dropped off by her son at the Tandur bus depot, Radha realized she had forgotten her coat and sent her son back home to retrieve it. Clad in a pink suit and khaki overcoat, she boarded what would soon become the ill-fated bus.
Radha recounted the terrifying moments leading up to the crash from her hospital bed at Dr. Patnam Mahender Reddy Institute of Medical Sciences (PMRIMS), where she was recovering from surgery. Sitting on the left side of the bus after issuing tickets, she suddenly saw the tipper lorry hurtling straight towards them. Despite the driver’s attempt to swerve left, the collision was unavoidable. Gravel and concrete flew everywhere, causing severe injuries to many onboard. Radha herself sustained a deep 10-centimeter gash in the center of her forehead, with gravel embedded in the wound, necessitating surgery and eight stitches.
While Radha was undergoing treatment, her niece Shravani waited anxiously outside the operation theatre, clutching the food box Radha had packed earlier that morning. The food, a weekly tradition of ‘special meals,’ consisted that day of jowar roti and sabzi—dishes not commonly found in the city. For Shravani, this meal symbolized the care and love of her aunt amidst the fear and uncertainty of the accident’s aftermath.
Radha’s 19-year-old son had dropped her off as usual that morning, unaware of the tragedy about to unfold. “I always drop mom off before college,” he said quietly, expressing his hope for her recovery. That hope contrasted sharply with the grief experienced by others who were not as fortunate.
Among those who lost their lives was 44-year-old Magalla Hanumanthu, a farmer from Nitoor village. He was traveling with his 24-year-old son Ashok to Hyderabad for medical treatment of an earache when the crash occurred. Ashok’s harrowing account reveals the chaos and despair of the moment. His father pushed him out of harm’s way during the collision, but before Ashok could return to help, his father was engulfed by the gravel that spilled from the lorry, leading to his tragic death.
The accident also left survivors with severe injuries and trauma. R. Nandhini, a 24-year-old B. Pharmacy student from Vikarabad interning in Miyapur, was the only passenger shifted for advanced treatment to KIMS Hospital on Minister Road. From her hospital bed, Nandhini recalled little of the incident except the massive thud and her subsequent awakening in the hospital. She had been trapped under gravel up to her neck, with two bodies lying beside her—a chilling testament to the crash’s severity.
Another survivor, 38-year-old Abdul Razak from Hassan Nagar in Shivarampally, described the bus as overcrowded when he boarded at Vikarabad at 6:30 a.m. Standing during the journey, he was engulfed by gravel up to his thighs after the collision. Rescued only after nearly an hour when an earthmover was brought in, Razak recounted that both the bus and the tipper lorry were speeding, contributing to the disaster. “It was morning, that’s when everyone rushed,” he reflected, highlighting the risks of hurried travel in busy hours.
The accident’s toll extended beyond physical injuries to shatter families and communities. In one of the most heart-wrenching losses, three sisters—E. Nand