Two men died and three friends were hurt early Wednesday when their car crashed into a heavy vehicle on National Highway 44 near Shadnagar. The deceased, G. Madhusudan Reddy and Purushottam Reddy, were among five friends aged 40 to 45 from Turkayamjal in Abdullapurmet mandal. They had traveled to Arunachalam, Tamil Nadu, for a pilgrimage, leaving Monday and returning Tuesday night. At about 12:30 a.m., near SS Dhaba, a heavy vehicle, thought to be a lorry, suddenly slowed down. The car, driven by Purushottam Reddy, hit the rear of the vehicle. Purushottam and Madhusudan died on the spot. The injured—Sridhar, Prashant Goud, and Chandrakant Reddy—are stable. Police noted that the car’s airbags deployed but the crash impact was strong. Authorities are reviewing nearby surveillance footage to find the heavy vehicle and driver. A case is registered and investigation is ongoing.