23 hurt as bus, truck plunges off bridge in Andhra
A bus travelling from Hyderabad to Bengaluru fell off a bridge early Sunday after colliding with a light commercial vehicle in Anantapur district, injuring 23 of the 34 people on board, police said.
The crash happened around 4 a.m. near Pamidi, about nine kilometres from Gooty, within the limits of Pamidi Police Station.
Of the 34 passengers on the bus, 11 escaped unhurt, while 23 suffered injuries ranging from minor to serious, police said.
A police official, speaking to PTI, said a preliminary investigation showed the crash occurred on a one-way highway with separate bridges for opposite-direction traffic. Although the road is otherwise wide, it narrows by about two feet near the bridge.
The driver of the light commercial vehicle failed to notice the narrowing and struck the protective wall on the left side, the official said. The vehicle then swerved sharply to the right and was hit by the bus travelling behind it, causing both vehicles to fall off the bridge, the official added.
An FIR has been registered in connection with the accident, police said. Motor Vehicle Department officials also examined the vehicles involved, according to the police official.
(Inputs from PTI)
