A Volvo bus coming from Bhubaneshwar to Hyderabad plunged into a canal in the wee hours of Tuesday killing at least 11 passengers and injuring 26 others, police said.
The accident occurred around 5.30 am at Mullapadu under Penuganchiprolu Mandal in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh when the driver lost control over the vehicle and the bus fell into a canal between two bridges after breaking through the barricade.
“We are investigating the cause of the accident and the condition of the driver who was among the deceased,” said Umamaheshwara Rao, Deputy Superintendent of Police Nandigam. The driver was identified as Adi Narayana Reddy.
As Bhubaneshwar-Hyderabad journey was 1,000-km long, a new driver had taken over at Vijayawada just before the accident, officials said. Rescue and relief workers used gas cutters to cut open the mangled portion of the bus and removed the survivors and the dead bodies. later the bus was removed from the canal by two cranes.
Injured were admitted to the hospitals at Nandigam, Gollapudi and Vijayawada. Ten injured were stated to be in a critical condition.