Hyderabad, Aug.26 (RAHNUMA): Six passengers were killed and 20 others sustained serious injuries when a private travels bus rammed into a stationary lorry on the outskirts of Dwarakunta village in Kodad mandal of Suryapet district in the early hours of Wednesday.
The accident occurred around 4 a.m. when the bus, carrying 42 passengers from Hyderabad to Eluru, collided with a lorry loaded with iron material that was parked on the roadside.
The deceased included five women and a man. The injured were shifted to the Kodad Government Hospital for treatment.
The deceased were identified as Yasaarapu Chinni (32) of Telaprolu in NTR district, Mary Jyotsna (29) of Vijayawada, Nagendra Babu (21), Suravarapu Shakeena, Bhavana and Lakshmi.
According to eyewitnesses, iron sheets from the lorry pierced through the bus and struck passengers who were asleep at the time of the accident. Police suspect that driver fatigue and overspeeding may have contributed to the mishap.
The bus driver, Mallikarjun, reportedly fled the scene following the accident. The bus was scheduled to reach Eluru by 9 a.m.
The bodies of all six victims have been kept at the Kodad Government Hospital.
On the directions of Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, Suryapet District Collector and the District Superintendent of Police visited the Kodad Government Hospital and met the injured in the road accident.
The officials reviewed the treatment being provided to the victims and took steps to ensure that the injured receive the best possible medical care.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy expressed shock and grief over the road accident at Kodad. He conveyed his deep condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the mishap.
The Chief Minister directed the Chief Secretary to ensure that all necessary measures are taken to provide the injured with the best possible medical treatment.
