Vijayawada: In a major bus accident, five persons including four students of Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad were killed late on Monday at Gollapudi (Vijayawada-Hyderabad highway) near Vijayawada. Twenty other medical students sustained injuries and condition of two students is said to be critical.
"All of them were students of Osmania Medical College. While four of them and the driver died on spot, one student died in Government General Hospital. The bus overturned after hitting a tree on the road side at Surayapalem," said Bhavanipuram Inspector Gopala Krishna. The deceased are identified as Lakshman, Vijay, Pranay Raja and Vijaya Teja.
The bus (AP28TB166) belonging to a private carrier was heading to Hyderabad from Amalapuram. It started off from Vijayawada at 11pm. At around 11.30 pm, the bus hit a tree on the roadside and was smashed, turning turtle. There were nearly 46 students in the bus at the time of accident.
The students were returning from a sports tour. The Volvo bus, a contract carrier, is registered in the name of Sree Kaleswari Travels and is being operated by Dhanunjay Travels. Initial reports suggest that the driver was inebriated. Vijayawada police are investigating the cause of accident.
