At least eight pilgrims died and several others were injured when a private travel bus fell into a gorge in Andhra Pradesh’s Alluri Sitharamaraju district in the early hours of Friday, December 12.
The accident occurred on the Chintur–Naredumilli ghat road after the driver reportedly failed to negotiate a sharp turn. The bus hit a safety wall before plunging into the gorge. It was carrying 37 people, including two drivers, and was headed to Annavaram.
All the passengers were from Chittoor district and were travelling to the Annavaram temple in Kakinada district after visiting the Bhadrachalam temple in Telangana.
The lack of mobile network coverage in the area delayed information reaching the Mothugunta police station. Once alerted, police rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation. Eight bodies were recovered, and the injured were shifted to a hospital in Chintur.
Five police vehicles and three ambulances were deployed for the rescue and shifting of the injured.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed shock over the tragedy. He spoke to officials overseeing the rescue and relief operations and directed them to ensure the best possible medical care for the injured.
Home Minister V Anitha and Tribal Welfare and Women and Child Welfare Minister G Sandhya Rani also left for the accident site. They spoke to the Alluri Sitharamaraju district Collector and Superintendent of Police and directed them to provide all necessary assistance to the victims.
The Chief Minister had recently raised concerns over rising road accidents in the state and ordered third-party audits to identify causes. Addressing the Road Safety Council meeting last month, he flagged that 6,433 people had died in 15,462 road accidents in Andhra Pradesh so far this year.
According to official data, 79% of road accidents occur due to overspeeding, 3% due to wrong-side driving, and about 1% due to alcohol consumption and mobile phone use. Andhra Pradesh currently ranks eighth in the country in road accidents.