Hyderabad, Jan 7: Twenty people, including 11 students, were killed and 30 injured when an Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) bus fell into a gorge.
The accident occurred on Hindupur–Madakasira ghat road in Anantapur district, 430 km from here, on Wednesday morning. The bus was carrying more than 70 passengers.
The condition of 15 injured, mostly students, is said to be critical. The “Palle Velugu” (rural) bus bound for Penukonda from Madakasira town started at 7:45 am.
Half-an-hour later, driver Gangappa lost control of the vehicle while negotiating a curve and trying to avoid a three-wheeler coming from the opposite direction.
The bus went down and hit the rocky bottom of the 50-foot deep gorge, killing 11 instantaneously.
Soon after the accident, commuters rushed to the rescue of the passengers. Police pressed an excavator into action and removed the mangled top portion of the bus.
“The impact of the accident was so intense that parts of the bus got separated,” Penukonda MLA Suryanarayana said.
School bags, lunch boxes and footwear were strewn at the accident spot.
There was blood everywhere inside the bus.
Revenue officials identified the killed as Srinivasulu (43) of Hemavathi village in Amarapuram mandal, T Ashok Kumar (17) , Dasari Gangadhar (17) , E Anil (16) of Mavatur , Lakhsmi Narayana (16) of Nagaluru, Ashok Kumar (17) of Anandapuram, Kuraba Gangadhar (19) of Mavatur, Mala Ashok (16) Boya Narasimha Murty (16) of Mavaturu , O Narendra (15) of Mavaturu, Kuruba Anita (17) of Gobburampalli, Kuruba Sekhar (16) of Naguluru, K Lakshminarayana (16) of Naguluru, Hanumantha Rayudu (20) of Nagaluru, Forest beat officer P Ramakrishna (45) of Chilamattur and Kuruba Murali (11) of Patagobbarampalli of Roddam mandal.
Forty-six of the injured are being treated at Hindupur Government Hospital and five at Anantapur. Driver Gangappa is in a critical condition receiving treatment in Nimhans, Bangalore. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu directed three of his cabinet colleagues from Anantapur to rush to the spot and coordinate rescue operations.
He announced Rs 5 lakh for each of the kin of the deceased, Rs 2 lakh each for the critically injured and Rs 1 lakh each for the injured.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a message, expressed grief over the accident.