Vijayawada: Nine passengers, including six women, were killed and several others sustained injuries when an Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation bus fell off a bridge 20 feet below and plunged into the Jalleru rivulet Vegavaram village of Jangareddygudem mandal in West Godavari district on Wednesday.
West Godavari district Superintendent of Police Rahul Dev Sharma told PTI over phone from Eluru that there were about 35 passengers in the bus that was on its way to Jangareddygudem from Aswaraopet in neighbouring Telangana when the mishap occurred.
The APSRTC bus carrying 47 passengers was proceeding from Bhadrachalam to Jangareddygudem. However, by the time it was nearing a narrow road bridge across the Jalleru rivulet near Vegavaram, a lorry was coming in the opposite direction. In a bid to avoid a head-on-collission, the driver steered the bus toward the left side, but he lost control on the wheel and hit the railing, taking the vehicle into the rivulet along with all passengers.
According to local people, as there was not much water in the rivulet, many trapped passengers were rescued.
The injured people were shifted to government area hospital at Jangareddygudem for medical treatment.
Chief minister Y.S Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed shock over the bus mishap. He announced an ex-gratia of Rs.5 lakh each to the kin of the deceased
