5 techies among 45 killed in AP bus accident

Five software professionals including a woman were among the 45 people killed in the private luxury bus accident in Mahboobnagar district in Andhra Pradesh the wee hours of today.

Some of the techies were headed home in a Volvo bus of Jabbar Travels to celebrate Diwali festival this weekend with their families. Four of the five professionals were working with Bangalore-based Information technlogy(IT) firms.

Jyothy Mahapatra (33), one of the victims, was working for a multinational software firm in Bangalore and was on his way to Hyderabad on the ill-fated bus to take a flight home to his native town of Cuttack to celebrate the Festival of Lights. The accident occurred near Palem, about 130 km from here.

"As he could not get a direct flight ticket to Bhubaneswar from Bangalore, he took a bus upto Hyderabad. He was supposed to catch a flight from Hyderabad to Bhubaneswar tomorrow morning," Samarendra, Jyothy’s cousin said.

Shakthi Kanth (28), who was also working with a software giant in Bangalore, was on his way to Hyderabad from where he was due to go to Bhubaneswar along with his family members who reside in Andhra Pradesh capital.

Vittu Amarender(29), who is working with another IT firm in Bangalore, also fell a victim in the mishap.

Amarender hailed from Nancharla village in Karimnagar District and his wife is pregnant, his relatives said.

B Akshay Singh (22), a resident of Jawahar Nagar of Hyderabad and an employee with a local IT company in Bangalore, died in the accident, said Dr Sudhakar, uncle of the deceased.

Roohia, a resident of Mehadipatnam and who was working with a little-known IT company in Hyderabad was among the deceased, her uncle said.