RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM: Four people, including the bus driver, were killed, and 21 others were injured when a Hyderabad-Kakinada private travels bus collided with a cement-laden lorry at Chodimella village on the national highway in Eluru urban mandal on Thursday morning.
Eluru District Police Superintendent (SP) K Pratap Siva Kishore said at least 30 passengers were onboard when the accident occurred. Preliminary investigations suggest that speeding and driver negligence caused the crash, though a probe is underway.
The deceased were Bondu Bhimeswararao, Mattaparthi Bhavani, Juttiga Bhavani, and bus driver Madhu. Police confirmed that one male and two female passengers died on the spot, while the driver succumbed to injuries in the hospital. Twelve male passengers, including three children, and nine female passengers are receiving treatment at Eluru Government Hospital. The accident occurred around 6 am when the speeding bus, en route to Kakinada from Hyderabad, rammed into a stationary cement-laden lorry near Ratna’s Hotel on the highway.
Eluru District Collector K Vetri Selvi and rural police rushed to the scene, ensuring the injured were shifted to the hospital. The Collector later visited the hospital to monitor their treatment.
Eluru rural police have registered a case, and an investigation is in progress. The deceased were sent to Eluru Government Hospital for postmortem.