TIRUPATI: As many as 20 pilgrims on their way to Tirumala, were injured when an RTC bus rammed the hill on the ghat road on Sunday morning. The passengers of the ill-fated Sapthagiri Express, which runs between Tirupati and Tirumala, complained that the driver drove the bus rashly ignoring their word of caution, which resulted in the mishap.
According to some passengers, the driver started driving the vehicle rashly from the RTC bus stand itself and even after crossing Alipiri toll gate, from where the ghat road begins, he did not slow down vehicle.
“After Alipiri when the driver narrowly missed hitting the hill twice, we shouted at him to slow down and drive the bus with caution. But he was in no mood to listen to us, which led to the mishap,” passengers Sashikanth and Venkataratnamma said.
While negotiating a steep curve at the 9th mile on the ghat road, the driver lost control over the vehicle and the bus hit the hill. The bus driver was also injured in the mishap.
On hearing the news, TTD vigilance officials and police rushed to the spot and shifted the injured to SVR Ruia Government General Hospital in Tirupati. Later, the pilgrims went to Tirumala in other vehicles. Some pilgrims returned to their native places after the incident.
Tirumala traffic police registered a case against the bus driver. He reportedly told the police that the steering wheel of the bus got stuck leading to the mishap. The police, however, said the bus driver might have applied brakes immediately to avert mishap if the steering wheel got stuck.