K Radha (45) was standing in the middle of the bus as it travelled on NH-163 near Chevella on the outskirts of Hyderabad when she heard a loud bang and felt a sudden jolt.

The bus had collided with a truck that was carrying gravel, leaving 19 people dead and 24 injured. Radha, the conductor of the Road Transport Corporation (RTC) bus, was one of the 30 people who survived. The bus had started at 4.30 am from Tandur bus depot and was travelling to Hyderabad . It carried 72 people at the time of the accident.

Speaking to those who crowded around her in the hospital where she is undergoing treatment for her injuries, Radha said, “I did not see the truck coming because I was looking at my conductor’s pad to tally the tickets. It happened all of a sudden.”

Also among the survivors was

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