Hyderabad: An RTC bus driver was burnt alive in an accident at Bowenpally in Hyderabad early on Tuesday. The 55 passengers of the bus escaped miraculously.
A truck carrying corn rammed the bus near Sree Latha Gardens sparking a fire when the bus was heading to Armoor from Jubilee Bus Station. The bus driver, G. Gangadhar, 37, got trapped inside the bus. The passengers and the second driver escaped before the fire destroyed the vehicle. Eleven people suffered minor injuries in the mishap.
Police suspect that the truck’s diesel tank broke in the collision and fuel spilled on both vehicles. “Due to the heat it must have caught fire,” a police official from Bowenpally police station said.
While most of the passengers were coming from Vinjamoori in Prakasam district, from where the bus started, some were going to Armoor after attending Ganesh Nimajjanam in Hyderabad. The bus belongs to Armoor depot.
Police said the truck which was coming from the other side was responsible for the accident as the driver was negligent.
“The accident occurred at a curve at around 3.30 am. The truck driver was negligent and fled after the accident. We have booked a case against him,” said Bowenpally sub-inspector K. Srinivas Rao.
Eyewitnesses said the driver’s leg was seriously injured and he got stuck between the steering and the seat. He could not come out of the bus when the bus caught fire. In less than 10 minutes the fire engulfed the front side of the bus and spread to the back. However, no passenger suffered burns.
“The passengers were injured in the collision. Some fell down and hit their heads on the bars and the floor. All of them managed to get out before the fire spread,” said Armoor RTC depot manager R. Mauli, after meeting the passengers and the injured second driver of the bus. The dead RTC bus driver, Gangadhar, was a native of Balkonda in Nizampet.
The Telangana government has announced an ex-gratia of '6 lakh to the victim’s family. The government will also provide a job to the victim’s family. Transport minister P. Mahender Reddy visited the accident spot, and also talked to the family. of the victim.
