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Six people charred to death in bus-truck collision in Andhra Pradesh’s Palnadu
The accident took place around 1.30am between Annambatlavari Palem and Pasumarru villages near Chilakaluripet
Six people, including an eight-year-old girl, were charred to death when a private bus they were travelling in burst into flames after colliding with a tipper truck laden with gravel in Andhra Pradesh’s Palnadu district in the wee hours of Wednesday.
The accident took place around 1.30am between Annambatlavari Palem and Pasumarru villages near Chilakaluripet, the police said. Both the vehicles were completely gutted in the fire.
“Five of the six deceased were identified as Uppugunduru Kasi Brahmeshwar Rao (65), his wife Uppugunduru Lakshmi (55), their 8-year-old granddaughter, bus driver Anji (35) and truck driver Hari Singh (around 40) from Madhya Pradesh. The body of the sixth victim is yet to be identified,” a police official of the Chilakaluripet station told reporters.
According to the police official, the private bus was coming to Hyderabad from Chinnaganjam town in Bapatla district with around 40 passengers when the accident took place.
“Most of the passengers are from Chinnaganjam, Gonasapudi and Neelayapalem villages, but currently staying in Hyderabad. They were returning after casting their votes in their native places during the ongoing general elections on Monday,” the official said.
As they reached Pasumarru village, the tipper truck came from the opposite direction at a high speed and collided head-on with the bus. “The oil tank of the truck exploded from the impact, sparking a fire within seconds. Both the truck and the bus were engulfed in flames in no time,” the police said.
While most of the bus passengers immediately broke open the window and jumped out, the three deceased members of one family and another person failed to escape and succumbed.
Locals immediately alerted the Chilakaluripet police, who rushed there along with ambulances and fire tenders. “But by the time we reached the spot, both the vehicles were completely gutted,” the police said.
Thirteen people were injured, and they were referred to Guntur for further treatment after being given first aid at Chilakaluripet government hospital.
Andhra Pradesh governor S Abdul Nazeer, chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and Telugu Desam Party chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu expressed grief over the accident and offered their condolences to the bereaved family members.
The governor also instructed the officials to provide proper medical facilities to the injured persons.
