Visakhapatnam: Two persons died on the spot and another 20 suffered injuries, 10 seriously, when an RTC bus carrying 48 passengers plunged into a gorge near the Paderu viewpoint in ASR district on Sunday. The bus was going from Visakhapatnam to Paderu.
The mishap happened when the driver was negotiating a steep curve on its way to Paderu. Fortunately, the trees in the hilly areas saved the lives of several people. The bus got stuck in the trees and hence did not plunge into further depths.
As per reports, the driver lost control of the bus while negotiating a sharp curve. He tried to escape a branch of a tree near the curve and the vehicle hit a dilapidated retaining wall. The wall collapsed and the bus plunged into the valley.
The deceased were Narayanamma (50) and S Kondanna (55). The SP of ASR district, Tuhin Sinha, said 22 victims were admitted to a hospital in Paderu. The condition of the two was critical and they were shifted to King George Hospital in Vizag. A few children were also injured.
“There was no mobile-phone network at the accident spot and the surviving passengers struggled hard to communicate to their relatives about the mishap. The police managed to rescue the survivors and retrieved the bodies.”
