10 killed as Bus falls into canal in Krishna district

Hyderabad, Feb.28: At least 10 passengers were drowned and several others injured when a private Volvo bus (AP02-TC-7146)coming to Hyderabad from Bhubaneshwar, met with a ghastly accident near Mullapadu village in Krishna district in the early hours of Tuesday.

According to preliminary inquiry, the mishap occurred as the driver of the bus was in a sleepy and dozing condition while driving. The private bus belonging to Diwakar Travels, an agency owned by TDP MP from Anantapur JC Diwakar Reddy, was coming from Bhubaneshwar. It was on the way to Hyderababd after halting at Visakhapatnam when the accident occurred in the early hours.

The speeding bus reportedly jumped the railing and fell into a canal in between two flyovers. The front portion and backside of the bus were completely mangled and most of the passengers were trapped inside. Several M passengers suffered head injuries and fractures. While seven persons died on the spot, three succumbed to injuries in the hospital.  There were 38 passengers traveling in the bus.
Some 20 injured were admitted to hospitals in Nandigama and Vijayawada and the condition of many is stated to be critical. Most of the passengers are stated to be from Vizag, Bhubaneshwar, Srikakulam and Hyderabad.

It may be mentioned here that this is the second major incident involving the bus owned by Diwakar Travel agency. In October 2013, a Volvo bus of the company on lease to Jabbar Travels, coming from Bengaluru to Hyderabad caught fire at Kothakota in Mahbubnagar district in which 45 passengers were charred to death.