KODAD (SURYAPET): Six passengers lost their lives and several others sustained severe injuries when a private sleeper bus rammed into a stationary lorry on the Hyderabad-Vijayawada national highway near Kodad in Suryapet district during the early hours of Wednesday. The incident occurred around 3:30 AM near the Jaggaiahpet border stretch in Kodad town. The private travel bus, carrying over 30 passengers from Hyderabad to Vijayawada, collided violently with a heavy truck parked on the roadside. According to preliminary investigations by the police, the bus driver failed to notice the parked truck in time, likely due to high speed and reduced visibility in the dark. The impact was so severe that the front left side of the bus was completely crushed, trapping several passengers inside the mangled vehicle.
Five passengers died on the spot due to heavy impact injuries, while one succumbed to injuries while being rushed to the hospital. At least 12 other passengers suffered injuries of varying severity, including fractures and deep lacerations. Local residents and highway patrol teams rushed to the site immediately after hearing the crash. Emergency personnel used gas cutters to slice through the wreckage and safely extract the trapped individuals from the damaged sections of the bus.
Suryapet police and emergency services swiftly transferred the injured to the Kodad Area Hospital and nearby medical centers for urgent care, with critical patients later shifted to Khammam and Vijayawada for specialized treatment. A senior police officer from the Kodad station stated that a case has been registered under relevant sections and a thorough investigation is underway to determine whether driver fatigue or mechanical failure caused the collision. Traffic on the Hyderabad-Vijayawada highway was briefly disrupted following the accident but was quickly restored after tow trucks cleared the debris and damaged vehicles from the roadway. Police are currently working to verify the identities of the deceased and notify their respective families.
