Hyderabad: As more and more details emerge from the fatal Rangareddy road accident in Chevella mandal that has claimed 19 lives so far and several gravely injured on Monday morning, November 3, a heart-wrenching story of a family that lost three daughters has come forward.
Nandini, Sai Priya, and Tanusha were three of the four daughters of Yellaiah Goud from Gandhinagar, Vikarabad. According to local reports, the three sisters were studying at Kothi Women’s College in Hyderabad. They were returning to the city after attending a wedding on October 15.
Their father, a driver, worked tirelessly to ensure that all four of his daughters received an education; one of them reportedly married just last month.
On the day of the incident, Goud dropped Nandini, Sai Priya and Tanusha, unbeknownst that that would be their final goodbye.
Nandini was a first-year student, Sai Priya, in her third year, and Tanusha was studying MBA.
Daughters orphaned
While one family lost their daughters, another story from the same tragedy speaks of two daughters left behind. Bhavani and Shivalila are heartbroken after losing their parents, Bandappa and Lakshmi, residents of Hajiipur village in Vikarabad district. The children are inconsolable.
Quick thinking of TGSRTC driver saves lives: Conductor
Bus conductor Radha claimed that it was the quick thinking of 37-year-old TGSRTC driver Dastagiri that saved her and others’ lives in the accident. “He moved the bus to the left, and people on one side got saved. If he had gone straight, I would not have made it,” she said.
However, Dastagiri did not survive. Both drivers died upon impact.
A survivor who was sleeping behind the conductor said 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.
Two children were orphaned in the tragic bus accident that claimed at least 19 lives in Chevella on Monday.
The deceased have been identified as Bandappa and Lakshmi, residents of Hajiipur village in Yellareddy mandal, Vikarabad district. Their daughters, Bhavani and Shivalila, survived the accident and have now been left orphaned.
Authorities said efforts are underway to provide support and assistance to the children.
State govt announces compensation for bus accident victims
Meanwhile, state transport minister Ponnam Prabhakar said the state government would offer Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of the deceased in addition to Rs 2 lakh from TGSRTC.
The government would also provide Rs 2 lakh each to the injured.
19 dead so far
At least 19 persons were killed when the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) bus with about 70 passengers and a tipper vehicle laden with crusher concrete collided at Chevella.
The accident took place at Mirzaguda on Chevella Road.
Reports said both vehicles came face-to-face at high speed, and in an attempt to avoid a collision, the TGSRTC driver swerved towards the extreme left of the road, but the bus rammed into the lorry.
Seventeen bus passengers were crushed and buried under the gravel, leading to their instant deaths. Both drivers also perished. Half of the bus was filled with gravel, trapping several passengers inside.
The rescue operation is underway.
Relief measures
Meanwhile, Telangana chief minister A. Revanth Reddy directed officials to immediately reach the accident site in Chevella mandal of Rangareddy district and take up necessary relief measures. They were instructed to communicate full details of the accident from time to time.
The chief secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao and Director General of Police B. Shivadhar Reddy were directed to immediately shift those injured in the bus accident to Hyderabad for better treatment. The District Collector was asked to intensify relief measures.
PM Modi mourns loss of lives
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday expressed grief over the loss of lives and announced an ex-gratia of Rs two lakh each to the families of the deceased.
“The loss of lives due to a mishap in the Rangareddy district of Telangana is deeply saddening. My thoughts are with the affected people and their families during this difficult time. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured,” a PMO statement said.
The loss of lives due to a mishap in the Rangareddy district of Telangana is deeply saddening. My thoughts are with the affected people and their families during this difficult time. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured.
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) November 3, 2025
An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be…
“An ex-gratia of Rs two lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs 50,000,” the statement said.
