Tragic Accident: Private Bus Falls Into Gorge After Losing Control, Eight Pilgrims Dead
Visakhapatnam (The Uttam Hindu): A tragic accident occurred on Friday morning in Andhra Pradesh’s Alluri Sitarama Raju district when a private travel bus fell into a deep gorge, killing eight pilgrims and injuring several others. The incident took place on the Chintoor–Naredumilli ghat road after the driver allegedly lost control at a sharp turn, hit the safety wall and the bus plunged into the valley. The bus had 37 passengers, including two drivers, and was headed towards Annavaram.
According to the information, all the passengers were from Chittoor district. They had visited the Bhadrachalam temple in Telangana and were on their way to the Annavaram temple in Kakinada district. The accident spot had no mobile network, which delayed communication to the police station at Mothugunta. Police reached the site and launched a rescue operation. Eight bodies were recovered, while the injured were shifted to a hospital in Chintoor. Five police vehicles and three ambulances were used to transport the injured.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu expressed grief over the accident. He spoke with officials about the rescue and relief operations and instructed them to ensure the best medical treatment for the injured. Home Minister V. Anitha and Tribal Welfare & Women and Child Welfare Minister G. Sandhya Rani rushed to the accident site. They also spoke to the district collector and superintendent of police, directing them to extend all possible assistance to the victims.
Raising concern over increasing road accidents, the Chief Minister had earlier ordered a third-party audit to identify the causes. In a recent Road Safety Council meeting, he noted that 15,462 road accidents and 6,433 deaths have occurred so far this year in the state.
Officials said 79% of accidents are caused by overspeeding, 3% by wrong-side driving and 1% due to alcohol consumption or mobile use while driving. Andhra Pradesh currently ranks eighth in the country in road accident cases.