Bus hits autorickshaw, 2 UKG kids dead

Nellore: Two UKG children were killed and 14 others injured, three of them seriously, when a speeding school bus collided with an autorickshaw at Teepanuru village in Chillakur mandal of SPSR Nellore district on Monday.

The deceased children are Doddaga Vamsi and Modiboina Venky, both 6-year-olds. The critically injured Doddaga Charan, Kanna Jagan and Sasank have been shifted to government headquarters hospital in Nellore along with five other students.

The victims were studying in different schools in Gudur and the mishap took place when they were on their way to the schools from Teepanuru and neighbouring villages in the autorickshaw

The autorickshaw driver, Kanna Ragaiah, also suffered grievous injuries and both his legs were broken. He was also shifted to the government headquarters hospital and his condition is said to be critical.

According to an eyewitness account, the bus driver was speaking on his cellphone and driving with one hand when he hit the autorickshaw coming from the opposite site. The autorickshaw was mangled in the mishap.

The police, led by Gudur DSP Srinivas, rushed to the village and detained the bus driver Kalesha. The bus was shifted to the police station in Chillakuru.

Joint collector G. Rekha Rani expressed grief over the incident when she visited the hospital at Gudur. She consoled the families of the deceased and assured to take up the issue of compensation for the families from the government as well as from the school owning the bus.

Meanwhile, student’s associations staged a dharna before the Ravindra Bharati School, which owns the school bus responsible for the deaths, demanding action against the school. They also  alleged that it was running without permission.