Mahabubnagar (Telangana) [India], November 20 : At least 32 to 45 passengers of a passenger bus had a narrow escape as their vehicle collided with a tanker carrying chemicals on the Hyderabad-Bengaluru national highway (NH 44) near Macharam in Jadcherla mandal in Telangana's Mahabubnagar district, police said on Thursday.
After the collision early this morning, hydraulic acid leaked from the container, creating a large plume of smoke. Two fire vehicles arrived at the scene and controlled the smoke and no casualties were reported, police said
According to a Jadcherla police official, "Early this morning a collision occurred between a tanker carrying hydraulic acid and a private travel bus. After the crash, the acid leaked, and two fire vehicles arrived at the scene and controlled the smoke. A total of 32 to 45 passengers were in the bus, and all are safe with no casualties. The bus and the tanker were travelling from Kurnool to Hyderabad."
Further investigation is underway.
Meanwhile, on Monday, at least 45 Indian Umrah pilgrims from Hyderabad and other parts of the country died, and only one survived in a devastating bus fire near Medina in Saudi Arabia, according to the Hyderabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar.
Out of the 46 passengers, 45 died after the vehicle was completely engulfed in flames. Only one individual, Md Abdul Shoaib, survived. He is admitted to a Saudi hospital ICU and remains in critical condition.
Addressing the media, Sajjanar said the group was travelling from Makkah to Madinah when their bus collided with an oil tanker nearly 25 km before Medina, causing an explosion that engulfed the vehicle within minutes.
The Telangana Government has announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 5 lakh to the families of each deceased.