GUNTUR: Six people were charred to death when a private bus in which they were travelling, caught fire after being hit by a oil tanker near Chilakaluripet in Palnadu district, police said.
The mishap occurred during the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday, they said.
The bus was en route to Hyderabad from Chinnaganjam, a Mandal in Bapatla district when it collided with a lorry. The two vehicles were completely damaged in the accident, police said.
"We got the information through some people about the incident. We have alerted ambulances and fire tenders. When we reached the spot, the bus was engulfed in flames. We understand that six people died," a police official told TV channels, adding that drivers of both vehicles died.
"The injured people informed that a total of 42 people were travelling in the bus after casting their vote on Monday. Among them a lorry driver, a bus driver and four others died on the spot," said an official of the Chilakaluripeta rural police station.
Officials said that 13 people were injured and they were given first aid at the Chilakaluripet town government hospital and referred to Guntur for further treatment.
The deceased have been identified as Anji (35), Uppgundur Kashi (65), Uppugundur Lakshmi (55), and Mupparaju Khyati Saishri (8), all residents of district Bapatla, Andhra Pradesh, tanker driver Hari Singh. One victim is yet to be identified.
Governor S Abdul Nazeer, TDP Chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu expressed grief over the accident and offered their condolences to the bereaved family members. The governor also instructed the officials to provide better medical facilities to the injured persons.
(With inputs from ANI, PTI)