VIJAYAWAD: Seven persons, including a seven-year-old, were killed after the vehicle in which they were traveling fell into a canal from a bridge near Darsi in Prakasam district in the wee hours of Tuesday.
According to police, a family from Podili in Prakasam district was on its way to Kakinada to attend a marriage reception when the mishap took place. The driver of the vehicle lost control of the steering and veered from the road. The bus fell into Nagarjuna Sagar canal from the bridge leading to the death of seven persons instantly. There were at least 45 passengers on the bus apart from two drivers.
One of the injured alerted the police and relatives following which local police and ambulances reached the spot. With the help of locals, police brought out the injured and shifted 17 injured persons to nearby hospitals. Over-speeding is said to be the cause of the mishap.
Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed shock and grief over the deaths and asked officials to extend the best medical facilities to the injured.