GUNTUR: An 11-year-old boy and a bus cleaner drowned in a pond near Gurazala in Palnadu district on Monday. According to the police, the deceased were K Subhash, a Class V student at a private school, and P Koteswara Rao, the bus cleaner.
The incident took place when the school bus broke down due to smoke from its radiator. The bus driver reportedly instructed Subhash to fetch water from a nearby pond. While attempting to collect water, Subhash slipped and fell into the pond. Koteswara Rao rushed to save him but drowned as neither could swim.
Locals alerted the police, who, with their help, retrieved the bodies from the pond. According to local sources, the driver had previously been caught consuming alcohol near the bus, and parents had raised complaints with the school management, but no action was taken. The police have registered a case and an investigation is on.