Before dawn on a Friday in late December, a family travelling home from Tirupati to Suryapet pulled onto the margin of National Highway-16 near Guntur, because a driver felt the weight of sleep and chose to stop rather than press on. Moments later, a private bus came up from behind and struck the stationary car, and three of its occupants, an elderly couple and a young man, died where they sat. It is one of the quiet, recurring reckonings of modern roads: a moment of caution met by the momentum of someone else's journey. The toll of the day, seven deaths across the state, reminds us how many s
Three killed as bus rams stationary car on NH-16 near Guntur; driver had stopped after feeling drowsy
Three people from one family, including a 65-year-old man, his 56-year-old wife and a 28-year-old man, died at the scene, and four others were injured.
He stopped because he felt drowsy. Moments later, a bus hit the car.
Mark
Why does this one stand out? Road deaths are tragically common.
Mimi
Because of the detail that the driver did the sensible thing. He felt drowsy and stopped. Then the bus hit them anyway, at 5:30 in the morning.
Mark
Who died?
Mimi
Kunchala Venkataiah, 65, his wife Kunchala Suseela, 56, and Navila Mahesh, 28, all from Suryapet district. Madhu, his wife, their two children and his uncle survived with injuries.
Luke
I'd note that the account of the driver stopping to wash his face comes from the police circle inspector. That's the police version; the report doesn't quote any survivor.
Mark
Where exactly was the car stopped?
Mimi
On the road margin of the third lane of NH-16, opposite Kommineni Cold Storage. Cold storage staff were first to rush over.
Luke
Worth flagging that the report doesn't say how far onto the carriageway the car was, or why the bus driver failed to avoid it. Whether he was also tired, speeding or distracted is unknown.
Mark
And the other accident in Nandyala?
Mimi
Four were feared dead there the same morning, which makes seven for the state that day.
Luke
Careful with that. Four were only "feared" dead, so the seven figure isn't a confirmed count yet.
Mimi
Fair. What's confirmed is the three in Guntur and a case registered by police.
Der Puls
- A private travels bus slammed into a car that had pulled over on NH-16 near Guntur at about 5:30 a.m., leaving no time for warning.
- The driver had stopped out of drowsiness, and that act of caution became the very place where the collision found its mark.
- Three members of one family died instantly, including a 65-year-old man, his 56-year-old wife and a 28-year-old man, while four others, among them children, were hospitalised.
- Nallapadu police have registered a case, and the bus and its driver remain under scrutiny as the investigation takes shape.
- The crash is one of seven road deaths across Andhra Pradesh that day, sharpening calls for stronger highway safety on these routes.
Before dawn on a Friday in late December, a family travelling home from Tirupati to Suryapet pulled onto the margin of National Highway-16 near Guntur, because a driver felt the weight of sleep and chose to stop rather than press on. Moments later, a private bus came up from behind and struck the stationary car, and three of its occupants, an elderly couple and a young man, died where they sat. It is one of the quiet, recurring reckonings of modern roads: a moment of caution met by the momentum of someone else's journey. The toll of the day, seven deaths across the state, reminds us how many such ordinary mornings end in grief.
At about half past five on the morning of Friday, December 26, 2025, a car stood at the edge of the third lane of National Highway-16 in Guntur district, parked opposite the Kommineni Cold Storage. Its driver had grown drowsy on the long road and pulled over, stepping out to splash water on his face. In the few moments after the car came to rest, a private travels bus came up from behind and struck it.
Three people inside died on the spot. Police under the Nallapadu station limits named them as Kunchala Venkataiah, 65, his wife Kunchala Suseela, 56, and Navila Mahesh, 28, all natives of Suryapet district in Telangana. They had been travelling from Tirupati toward home. Circle Inspector Kandepu Vamsidhar said the impact was severe and the deaths instantaneous.
Those who survived were Madhu, his wife, their two children and his uncle. They were injured, though still inside the vehicle when the bus hit it, and were taken to a nearby hospital. Staff from the cold storage were the first to rush to the scene and alert the police. Vakul Jindal, Superintendent of Police for Guntur, later visited the site, and a case has been registered.
The same morning brought another tragedy in Nandyala district, where four more were feared dead, bringing the state's road toll for the day to seven. The case now rests with Nallapadu police, who have not yet said more about the bus or its driver.
At about 5:30 on the morning of Friday, December 26, 2025, a car sat stopped at the edge of the third lane of National Highway-16 in Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, opposite Kommineni Cold Storage. Its driver had felt drowsy and pulled over. He had stepped out to wash his face. Moments after the car came to a halt, a private travels bus struck it from behind.
Three people in the car died on the spot. Police under the Nallapadu station limits identified them as Kunchala Venkataiah, 65, his wife Kunchala Suseela, 56, and Navila Mahesh, 28. All three were natives of Suryapet district in Telangana.
The car had been making the journey from Tirupati to Suryapet. According to Kandepu Vamsidhar, Circle Inspector of Police at Nallapadu, the driver stopped on the road margin after feeling sleepy. The impact of the bus hitting the stationary vehicle was severe, and the three deaths were instantaneous, he said.
Others travelling in the car survived. Madhu, his wife, their two children and his uncle all escaped with injuries, though they were inside the vehicle when the bus hit it. They were taken to a nearby hospital.
The first people to respond were staff at the cold storage, who rushed to the scene and informed Inspector Vamsidhar. Vakul Jindal, Superintendent of Police for Guntur district, later inspected the site. Police have registered a case.
The Guntur crash was not the only one that morning. In Nandyala district, also in Andhra Pradesh, four more people were feared dead in an accident in the early hours of the same day. Together with the Guntur deaths, that brings the toll from road accidents in the state to seven on Friday.
The case now rests with Nallapadu police, who have registered it but have not publicly said more about the bus or its driver. The reports so far describe a stop made out of caution for fatigue, and a collision that came from behind within moments of it.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
The car driver felt drowsy and stopped on the road margin to wash his face; a private bus then rammed the stationary car from behind.— Kandepu Vamsidhar, Circle Inspector of Police, Nallapadu (paraphrased)
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