Hyderabad: 4 dead, 17 injured after bus carrying wedding guests collides with lorry at Rangapur

Vikarabad: A post-wedding celebration ended in a tragedy after a private travel bus carrying members of the groom’s family collided with a stationary lorry on National Highway 163 near Rangapur village in Parigi Mandal on Tuesday.

The crash left four people dead on the spot and six others critically injured. The tragic incident occurred around 1:30 am and the victims were identified as the residents of Chandanavelli village in Shabad mandal of Ranga Reddy district.

They were returning home after attending a dinner hosted by the bride’s family in Parigi. The bus was reportedly carrying about 50 passengers when it crashed into a lorry parked along the highway under unclear circumstances.

The collision was so intense that two women and two men — identified as Balamma (60), Hemalatha (30), Mallesh (26), and Sandeep (28) — were killed on the spot. 17 others sustained life-threatening injuries and were rushed to the government hospital in Parigi.

Locals quickly alerted the police, who reached the scene and launched rescue operations. It took heavy machinery, including a JCB, to retrieve the bodies from the mangled remains of the bus. The deceased were sent for post-mortem examination.

The accident led to a massive traffic jam on National Highway 163, halting vehicular movement for nearly two hours in both directions between Hyderabad and Bijapur. Police have launched a manhunt for the lorry driver, who reportedly fled the scene.

A case has been registered, and an investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the accident. Officials have urged motorists to exercise extreme caution, especially while driving at night, to avoid such tragic incidents in the future.

Reacting to the incident, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy expressed grief over the road accident that occurred near Rangapuram in Vikarabad district. He directed the officials to provide the best possible medical treatment and immediate relief measures to those injured in the accident. Revanth Reddy also conveyed his condolences to the families of the deceased.