In Hyderabad, dozens of people gathered at the office of Sree Kaleswari Travels in Lakdikapul seeking information about their relatives who were on the ill-fated bus. Venkat Ram Reddy, father of Class X student Keshav Reddy, said, “My son’s details are not being found; he had gone alone to Shirdi and when I called him at 5am, a cop picked up and informed about the incident. When I rushed to Lakdikapul, my son’s name was not there in the list.” Mr Reddy fell unconscious while trying to get information about his son.
Rama Krishna, father of 22-year-old Usha Keerti, was in tears while trying to get through to his daughter. The SBI employee said, “I am trying her phone. It’s ringing but she isn’t answering it.” Shivkumar Pirumala rushed to Osmanabad from Red Hills, Nampally, after learning the news. He lost his brother Dr Sushilkumar Pirumala, 35, while Sushilkumar’s wife Dr Jyoti Sushilkumar, 30. was injured. Sushilkumar’s mother-in-law also died in the accident. “I learned that the driver had stopped the bus at a dhaba in Zahirabad after which he started driving rashly at a high speed,” said Mr Pirumala.
Of the 30 deceased, 20 bodies have been identified so far. Thirteen bodies arrived in Hyderabad on Saturday night and were shifted to the Osmania Hospital. Officials were handing over the bodies to family members after identification. Expressing shock, Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy directed officials to provide all help to the victims and families. Meanwhile, AP BJP president G. Kishan Reddy, meanwhile, demanded an ex gratia of at least Rs 10 lakh each for the victims’ families. Few politicians also gathered at the travel agent’s office and demanded that the owner be arrested and the deceased’s family be given Rs 20 lakh each.