Tragedy on NH-65: Two Drivers Killed in Chain-Reaction Crash Near Narkatpally

Narkatpally, March 10: A horrific road accident claimed the lives of two private bus drivers in the early hours of Tuesday, March 10, near the Nalgonda crossroads flyover on the Hyderabad–Vijayawada highway (NH-65).

The tragedy began around 2:30 AM following a minor collision between a Mojo Travels bus, traveling toward Kakinada, and a Gujarat-registered lorry. Following the initial brush-up, both drivers pulled over to the side of the road to inspect the damage and entered into a heated argument. Shortly after, a second Mojo Travels bus arrived at the scene and stopped to assist. Its drivers, identified as Srinivas and Bangaraiah, stepped out of their vehicle to join the discussion.

As the group stood between the stationary vehicles, a third heavy vehicle—a high-speed lorry traveling from Hyderabad—lost control and rammed into the parked vehicles from behind. The impact was so severe that Srinivas and Bangaraiah were caught between the vehicles and died instantly. A bus cleaner named Suresh also sustained critical injuries during the collision and was rushed to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment.

Narkatpally CI Nagaraju and SI Vishnu Murthy arrived at the spot shortly after the accident. Local authorities used cranes to clear the mangled remains of the vehicles, which had caused a temporary standstill in traffic on the busy National Highway. The bodies of the deceased have since been shifted to the Government General Hospital in Nalgonda for post-mortem examination.

Preliminary reports suggest that excessive speeding by the third lorry and a lack of safety precautions while parking on the highway contributed to the fatal outcome. The driver of the speeding lorry reportedly fled the scene, and police have launched a search to take him into custody. A formal case has been registered at the Narkatpally Police Station as the investigation continues.