India bus accident: Dreams turn to ashes as 45 burn to death

Hyderabad: The bus accident on the Bengaluru-Hyderabad highway, in which 45 people burned to death, has plunged many towns and villages across Andhra Pradesh into mourning.

Dreams, hopes and promising careers turned to ashes along with the private Volvo bus.

Several software engineers coming home to celebrate Diwali festival were among the victims.

Vedakumar of Devunapally village in Nizamabad district was happy; he was going for twin celebrations — the festival as well as first wedding anniversary. His family was shattered to hear the news that the bus in which he was travelling was involved in an accident.

As details of the accident reached the family through TV channels and attempts to contact him on his mobile failed, some relatives left for the spot.

Similar was the story of a couple, Sundar Raju and Vijay Mary, who died on the day of their wedding anniversary. The couple, who originally belonged to Tallur in Firangi mandal in Guntur district was going to Hyderabad for an annual medical check-up only to meet an untimely death.

The couple had been residing in Bengaluru for the last four years. They are survived by a daughter.

It was second such tragedy for the family. Back in 1989 Vijay Mary’s parents also died in a road accident.

A pall of gloom descended on another village Sancherla in Pegdapally mandal of Karimnagar district after a local software engineer, Amrinder, also died in the accident.

Amrinder, who was working in a software company in Bengaluru was travelling by a private travel agency bus for the first time as he could not get a ticket on RTC bus. The family came to know of his death when relatives called his mobile number only to find it was switched off. Later they also rushed to the scene of the accident.