As many as 15 people were killed and three others injured when a speeding bus crashed into a multi-utility vehicle (MUV) on the Hyderabad-Bengaluru national highway near Veldurthi in the Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh, in a tragic road accident on Saturday.
The bus, belonging to SRS Travels, was on its way from Hyderabad to Bengaluru, collided with the vehicle coming from the opposite direction.
According to the police, to save a two-wheeler rider, the bus driver hit the road divider and crashed into the MUV in the opposite lane. The victims hailed from the Jogulamba Gadwal district of Telangana and were returning to their village after attending an engagement ceremony.
The police suspect that the MUV was speeding, which may have led to the accident.
While 13 people died on the spot, two succumbed at a hospital. The front portion of the bus was also crushed as the result of the accident.
Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao expressed shock over the loss of lives in the accident. He asked the district collector to ensure proper treatment to the injured admitted in Kurnool hospital.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and YSRCP president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy also expressed grief over the accident.
“The authorities have been ordered to provide immediate treatment to the victims. I express my deepest condolences to the families of the dead,” Naidu tweeted.
“Jagan Mohan Reddy has expressed grief over the loss of human life in the road accident at Veldurthi in Kurnool district and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved family members and wished for the early recovery of the injured,” the YSRCP said in a statement.
Actor-politician and Jana Sena Party (JSP) chief Pawan Kalyan also extended his condolences to the family members.
Just earlier this month, a ghastly road accident claimed the lives of seven people, including that of two women, in Tanakallu of Anantapaur in Andhra Pradesh. The mishap took place when a mini bus and a truck collided near Parakuvandlapalli village on National Highway 42. While the truck was headed towards Madanaplle, the mini bus was headed to Kadiri.
IANS inputs