One dies, 25 hurt as private bus rams into divider

Vijayawada: A driver of private travels bus was dead and 25 passengers were injured in a road accident that took place near Garikapadu of Jaggaiahpet mandal in Krishna district in the early hours of Tuesday.

As the driver lost control, the speeding bus belonging to IVR Travels travelling from Hyderabad to Vijayawada rammed the divider on the national highway number 65.

Later, two buses belonging to Jai Bharat and Kaveri travels and a car also rammed the first bus resulting in the injuries to 25 passengers. The passengers were panicked with the unexpected accident.

All the 25 injured persons were shifted to various hospitals in Vijayawada and Jaggaiahpet. The deceased driver was identified as Vasamsetti Srinivasa Rao. The body was sent to the Jaggaiahpet Hospital for post-mortem.

Chillakallu police have registered a case and took up the investigation. Sub-inspector of Chillakallu police station said the accident took place about 2 a.m. when the bus driver lost the control. He said the injured victims were treated in private hospitals and all are safe.

District Collector B Lakshmikantham visited the Andhra Hospital in Gollapudi on Tuesday and consoled the victims. He said luckily most passengers were escaped with minor injuries and would be discharged. Transport Minister K Acchannaidu also inquired about the mishap and asked the district officials to ensure treatment to the accident victims.