TIRUPATI: Seven persons have died while 18 others were injured when a state-run bus carrying a wedding party to Kakinada from Podili plunged into the Nagarjunasagar branch canal near Darsi in Prakasam district in the early hours of Tuesday.
The mishap occurred when the driver of the APSRTC bus tried to avoid collision with a private bus coming from the opposite side, police said.
The police had a tough time removing the bodies from the severely mangled bus. The deceased were Abdul Azeez (65), Abdul Hani (60), Sk Rameeza (48), M. Noor Jahan (58), M. Jani Begam (65), Sk. Sabina (35) and Sk. Heena (6).
Prakasam district SP, Mallika Garg, said the wedding took place at the bride's residence in Podili on Sunday. The bride’s family hired an Indra (AP27 Z 0353) bus from Ongole RTC depot to attend the scheduled reception in Kakinada on Tuesday.
They boarded the bus at 12:35 am and 15 minutes later, while on the outskirts of Darsi town, the driver lost control of the RTC bus after crossing the first of two bridges. A private bus suddenly entered its lane, the SP said.
"The RTC bus, carrying around 45 persons including the driver and his assistant, collided with the side block of the bridge when the driver moved the wheel to the left margin to avoid a collision with the approaching private travels bus.”
The steering of the RTC bus broke, the brakes failed, and the bus lost control, falling off the bridge. Five women, a six-year-old girl and a man lost their lives," the SP informed the media.
One of the injured passengers managed to notify the police and their relatives. The local authorities and ambulances rushed to the scene. SP Garg also arrived at the spot and supervised the rescue operations.
With the assistance of earthmovers, the police rescued the injured passengers and transported them to nearby hospitals. Out of the 18 injured, five, including the bus driver, were referred to a hospital in Ongole. They were in a stable condition.
The bodies were taken to the hospital for autopsy. The fatalities were due to suffocation, as those seated in the front were crushed by the weight of passengers from the rear,” police said.
Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed grief over the incident and asked officials to ensure better medical care for the injured. The state government announced a compensation of '10 lakh to the families of each dead.
Additionally, a compensation of Rs 2 lakh will be provided to the seriously injured and Rs 50,000 to those who received less-serious injuries.
