Thirty-one passengers had a miraculous escape when their bus rolled down the ghat road on the way to Srisailam temple and came to a halt a few yards from a deep valley in the Nallamala forest on Sunday, thanks to the thick vegetation in the area which blocked the sliding vehicle.
Three passengers were reportedly grievously hurt while the rest escaped with minor injuries.
The brakes of the RTC bus, bound for Srisailam from Vijayawada, reportedly failed when the driver was negotiating a steep curve at the Nandi circle six kilometres away from Srisailam when the mishap occurred.
On receiving information, Srisailam inspector Venugopal Reddy along with his staff rushed to the spot and with the help of locals brought out the passengers stuck in the bus one by one.
According to the inspector, the rolling bus stopped after getting stuck in the thick growth of trees just 15 feet short of the valley.
The injured were shifted to Sunnipenta government hospital on 108 vehicles.