ANANTAPUR: At least 24 people were injured, two of them critically, after a private travels bus and an Eicher vehicle fell off a bridge following a collision near Pogururu village in Pamidi mandal of Anantapur district in the early hours of Sunday.
According to preliminary information, the accident occurred on the national highway near Pogururu bridge when the Eicher vehicle, which was reportedly travelling at speed, lost control and hit the road divider. The vehicle then veered towards the right side of the carriageway and collided with a private bus belonging to November Travels.
The impact caused both vehicles to lose control and plunge from the side of the bridge. The bus and the Eicher vehicle fell into the area below the bridge, leaving several passengers trapped and injured.
Local residents and police personnel who reached the spot immediately launched rescue operations. The injured were pulled out of the damaged vehicles and shifted in ambulances to the Government Hospital at Pamidi. Some of the seriously injured were reportedly shifted to the Government General Hospital (GGH) in Anantapur for further treatment.
Police and locals faced a difficult task in rescuing the victims from the vehicles after the crash. The impact reportedly caused extensive damage to the front portion of the bus, while the driver and several passengers sustained injuries.
The accident also disrupted traffic movement on the national highway. Vehicles were stranded on both sides of the road, resulting in a heavy traffic jam. Police personnel regulated traffic and cleared the road while continuing rescue and relief operations.
Preliminary reports suggest that the Eicher vehicle may have lost control before hitting the divider and subsequently the bus. However, the cause of the accident is yet to be established.
