9 killed, 22 injured as bus overturns and falls into valley in Andhra Pradesh

At least nine people were killed and 22 others were injured when a private bus carrying pilgrims fell into a valley and overturned in Andhra Pradesh’s Alluri Sitarama Raju district on the morning of Friday, December 12.

According to Superintendent of Police (SP) Amit Bardar, the accident occurred around 4:30 am near a Durga temple on the Chintoor-Maredumili Ghat road, news agency PTI reported.

“At least nine people died and 22 were injured when the bus fell off Ghat Road. The bus did not fall completely into the valley. It overturned… and got stuck,” he told PTI.

He said that possibly due to dense fog, the bus driver did not see the turn at the accident site.

The condition of four of the injured is said to be critical and they have been admitted to the hospital.

According to ASR District Collector Dinesh Kumar, the injured have been shifted to Bhadrachalam Hospital for treatment, news agency ANI reported.

The bus passengers were going from Chittoor to Bhadrachalam in the neighboring state of Telangana. There were a total of 37 people in the bus including the driver and cleaner. According to PTI, six of them are safe.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said he has directed officials to ensure necessary medical treatment for the injured persons.

Nadu wrote in a post in Telugu on

“I have directed officials to take all necessary measures to ensure that the injured get better medical attention. The government will stand with the families of those who lost their lives in the accident,” he said.