The accident occurred when the APSRTC bus carrying 45 persons fell into the NSP canal, killing five women, a six-year-old girl, and a man.
An image from the accident site. (Twitter)
Seven people died and several others were injured when a bus carrying a marriage party fell into a canal in the early hours of Tuesday, 11 July, in the Prakasam district.
The accident occurred near Darsi when the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) carrying about 45 persons fell into the Nagarjuna Sagar Project (NSP) canal, resulting in the death of five women, a six-year-old girl, and a man, police said.
Both Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and Governor Abdul Nazeer offered condolences to the families of the bereaved.
The mishap took place on the outskirts of Darsi when the driver of the APSRTC bus carrying the marriage party plunged into the canal while trying to avoid a private bus coming from the opposite direction, said Prakasam District Superintendent of Police (SP) Mallika Garg.
The bus hit a pole before falling into the canal, Garg said. The driver, who survived in the accident, said the steering stopped working and the brakes had also failed, the police official added.
Police said the driver of the APSRTC bus lost control of the vehicle after crossing the first of the two bridges when the private bus veered into its lane.
She said as per initial reports, the reason for the deaths was suffocation as people who were seated in the front portion got crushed due to the weight of others from the rear falling on them.
However, the driver and his assistant managed to survive. The survivors broke the windows to escape.
As many as 18 persons suffered injuries, police said, adding five of them have been referred to a hospital in Ongole and were said to be stable.
A crane was deployed at the accident site to rescue the injured persons.
A family from Podili had hired the APSRTC bus to go to Kakinada to attend a reception. They boarded the bus at 12.35 am and the accident occurred some 15 minutes later when they had reached the outskirts of Darsi.
Following an initial probe, police ruled out drunk driving as a cause of the mishap. Police have booked a case under IPC Section 304 and are investigating.
Meanwhile, an official release from Chief Minister Jagan’s office expressed shock and grief over the incident. He ordered officials to ensure the best medical care for the injured.
Governor Abdul Nazeer too expressed anguish and profound grief over the deaths in the accident, said a note shared by Raj Bhavan.
The Governor offered condolences to the bereaved family members and prayed for early recovery of the injured.
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