22 people were killed after a vehicle in which they were travelling fell into Godavari river after hitting the railing of Sir Arthur Cotton barrage at Dowleswaram in Andhra Pradesh.
A girl and a boy survived the mishap. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu condoled the death and ordered a probe.
The victims had to wait for about 4 hours to get any help from the locals and the police.
Some local fishermen noticed the vehicle and alerted the police who rushed to the spot and began with the rescue operation.
People travelling in the vehicle were fast asleep and died on the spot.
"The mishap might have occurred as the driver was sleepy and was driving at high speed," said Andhra Pradesh Home Minister N. Chinna Rajappa.
22 people included 8 women and 7 children, when the van fell into Godavari river.
"The vehicle driver might have dozed off and hit a wall of the bridge. The vehicle fell down nearly 30 feet upon the concrete slab meant to protect the barrage from getting washed away during heavy floods,” said a police official at the spot.
These 23 people were returning back from the pilgrimage from Tirupati to Achyuthapuram in Visakhapatnam district, when this incident took place.
Van falls into Godavari river in Andhra Pradesh, 22 dead