Celebration turns catastrophe: Overspeeding bus falls into gorge in Chittoor; kills 8, injures 45
As the visibility was poor at the time of the incident, it was a tough time for the police teams to rescue the passengers
By Newsmeter Network Published on 27 March 2022 3:51 AM GMT
Tirupati: As many as 8 killed, around 45 severely injured, after a marriage party bus carrying about 63 passengers falls into a gorge at a depth of around 50 feet, near Bhakarapet ghat, Chandragiri mandal in Chittoor district. The incident happened at around 10 pm on Saturday when the bus was heading from Dharamavaram in Anantapur to Nagari in Chittoor district for attending an engagement ceremony.
The engagement ceremony was to be held on Sunday and the family members started their journey on Saturday afternoon. They took a break near Pilleru at 9 pm. After a 9 km journey, the overspeeding bus allegedly lost control and fell into the hills.
According to Tirupati Superintendent of Police (Urban) Venkata Appla Naidu, "The incident came into light approximately at 10 pm when the locals heard a loud noise and cries from the ghat. The incident happened near a curve after Donakoti Gangamma temple, allegedly due to the overspeeding by the bus driver".
As the visibility was poor at the time of the incident, it was a tough time for the police teams to rescue the passengers. It took time to lift the injured passengers from the accident spot. All of them were sent to Ruia hospital in Tirupati.
Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy announced Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia for the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured passengers.
