One of the survivors of the Telangana bus tragedy said on Monday that most passengers seated behind the driver lost their lives, while those sitting behind the conductor managed to survive the deadly crash that claimed 19 lives.

“Several people were buried under the gravel. The tipper lorry came from the opposite direction. I was seated on the left side of the bus. We managed to climb out, but those who were sitting behind the driver couldn’t make it — some of them died. I was seated three rows behind the conductor,” recalled a survivor of the horrific road accident in Telangana’s Ranga Reddy district on Monday.

He said he was dozing in the bus when a loud thud jolted him awake, leaving him half-buried in gravel.

“I opened a window and escaped, with six others following. Later, another person broke the window panes to free more passengers,” he told reporters.

At least 19 people were killed and several others injured when a gravel-laden tipper lorry collided head-on with a Telangana Road Transport Corporation (RTC) bus near Chevella on Monday morning, trapping passengers inside the crushed vehicle. The RTC bus was travelling from Tandur to Hyderabad when the accident occurred.

“The tipper collided with the Telangana Road Transport Corporation (RTC) vehicle near Chevella, resulting in the gravel falling on the bus,” a police official told PTI.

“Sixteen people died, eight injured,” the official initially said, before the toll was later revised to 19. Among the deceased were 10 women and the bus driver, police added.

Doctors at the government hospital in Chevella said the victims suffered multiple fractures and facial, abdominal, and leg injuries. The injured were administered IV fluids and TT injections before being referred to state-run hospitals in Hyderabad.

According to TV visuals, half the bus was filled with gravel, leaving passengers trapped. Heavy earth-moving equipment was deployed to clear the wreckage.

Chevella Inspector Sridhar sustained minor injuries during the rescue operation after an excavator ran over his leg, officials said.

There were 72 passengers in the bus at the time of the crash, according to the conductor.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “deeply saddened” by the loss of lives in the accident.

“I extend my deepest condolences to the affected individuals and their family members during this difficult time. I pray that the injured recover quickly,” the PM wrote on X.

He announced compensation of Rs 2 lakh each for the families of those who died and Rs 50,000 for the injured from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF).

Expressing anguish over the tragedy, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy directed Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao and DGP Shivadhar Reddy to carry out relief measures on a war footing.

“The horrific road accident that occurred in Chevella Mandal of Ranga Reddy District has caused profound shock. The visuals of the accident have been heart-wrenching,” Reddy wrote on X.

“I express my deepest condolences to the families of the deceased. The government will support their families in every possible way and stand by them. We are taking war-footing measures to provide better medical assistance to the injured,” he added.