Five students of Osmania Medical College Hyderabad died in a road accident while returning from a sports tournament in Andhra Pradesh. Several were injured when the private travels bus overturned at Surampalem between Gollapudi and Ibrahimpatnam on Monday. 31 injured when a bus carrying them overturned after hitting a roadside tree.

The medical students were returning to Hyderabad from Amalapuram after taking part in a sports event. All the deceased students are studying the first year in Osmania Medical College. The driver of the bus was also killed in the accident. Police said the driver was drunk and driving the bus at a high speed, which led to the disaster. The semi-sleeper bus met with the accident at about 11 p.m. leading to a traffic jam for a long time on the national highway.

The survivors said the driver picked up an argument with them when they raised an objection driving in an inebriated condition. The driver who apparently was drunk, lost control and drove the vehicle into a tree and later into an electric pole. The impact made the bus rise into the air and then fall on its side and plough into the fields nearby.

The five students who died were identified as G Laxman, M Pranay, Uday, M Vijay, and Vijay Krishna. The injured were admitted to the hospital, where the condition of some of them is stated to be critical. Telangana Health Minister Lakshma Reddy rushed to Vijayawada from Hyderabad. He called on the injured at Andhra Hospital in Gollapudi. The minister said Telangana government will bear all expenses for the treatment of the injured.

Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao expressed shock over the death of the students. He directed officials to ensure best possible treatment to the injured and if necessary, shift them to Hyderabad.