Heart-rending scenes in Dharmavaram following crash

ANANTAPUR: Heart-rending scenes were witnessed at Dharmavaram following the bus accident at Bhakarapet on Saturday night. The mishap involved a bus carrying people for a marriage engagement ceremony in Tirupati.

Among the eight dead were family members of the prospective bridegroom and his relatives.

Malishetti Ganesh, the groom’s paternal uncle, Lakshmi Kantamma, Malishetti Murali the groom’s father, Gangappa, bus driver Rasool Nabi Basha, Malishetti Vengappa and a journalist Adinarayana Reddy from Dharmavaram town were among the dead.

The family engaged the bus of a private travel agency for the engagement programme from Dharmavaram town on Saturday evening. "The mishap happened a few hours after our departure from the house," said Lakshmamma, a relative, in a choked voice.

The bodies were reached to Dharmavaram in ambulances from Tirupati hospitals after completion of the formalities. The burial ground in Dharmavaram town witnessed heart-rending scenes as the relatives were weeping over the loss of their near and dear ones.

Among the dead, five are related to the bridegroom from Dharmavaram town apart from the bus driver and its cleaner, whose families too were in a state of shock. Dharmavaram MLA Venkatrami Reddy expressed deep grief over the tragic incident.