At least eight people were killed and 20 others were injured when a bus carrying a group of pilgrims of Andhra Pradseh fell in to a rivulet near Sholapur in Maharashtra on Tuesday morning.
The victims, who were on their way back from Shirdi and some other holy places, were from Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh. The accident occurred near Kavit Gam village when the bus fell from a bridge in to the backwater of Gini Dam.
Responding quickly to the news of the accident, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu ordered the officials to provide immediate help to the victims. The state government arranged a special aircraft to airlift all the injured and other passengers from Sholapur to Vijayawada. Two seriously injured victims were undergoing treatment at Yashoda Hospitla in Sholapur, officials said.
The special aircraft with 30 survivors took off from Sholapur at 5 pm and landed at Vjayawada later in the evening. Krishna district superintendent of police G Vijayakumar said that a group of 40 pilgrims from Chilkalaudi had left Machlipatanam in a bus of Gayatri Travels on September 29 for Shirdi and other places.
Chief Minister Naidu expressed his shock over the incident and expressed sympathies for the bereaved families. He said that the government will provide all possible assistance to the victims.