ONGOLE:Fifteen persons, including three children of a family, met with a tragic end when a private bus crashed into a mini-truck head on in Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh on Saturday.
The intensity of the collision, that occurred at Cherlopalem village, was such that the mini-truck broke into two pieces. While the mangled cabin remained on the road, the trolley was thrown a significant distance, killing 15 occupants on the spot. The private bus, belonging to Krishna travels, fell on the other side of the road and caught fire. There were no one other than the driver in the bus.
The mini-truck, hired by a marriage party, was ferrying people to Malakonda Swamy temple in the wee hours of Saturday. While the bride Surekha and groom P Mahindra went to the temple in a car, their relatives followed them in the mini-truck.
Three children of a family, S Chandu (10), S Audinarayana (8) and Srilekha (6) from Chennayipalem in Kavali mandal of Nellore district also died in the incident. Police and fire department staff rushed to the spot and shifted the injured to the Kandukur government hospital, RIMS and other private hospitals in Ongole. The condition of two boys is said to be critical. Mild-tension prevailed at the Kandukur government hospital when transport minister Sidda Raghava Rao came to console the bereaved family members. While the minister announced Rs 2 lakh ex gratia to the kin of victims, activists who gathered there in large numbers demanded Rs 10 lakh ex gratia.