At least eight people were killed and over 40 injured in a ghastly road accident in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, police said on Sunday.The incident occured late on Saturday night when the private bus they were travelling in fell into a valley on the Ghat road near Bhakarpet while negotiating a steep curve, the police added.
The victims belonged to the Anantapuramu district and were on their way to a wedding engagement scheduled for Sunday morning.Tirupati Urban Superintendent of Police Ch V Appala Naidu and a team of police personnel rushed to the spot and pulled out the injured persons using ropes and shifted them to RUIA hospital in Tirupati.
The Andhra Pradesh government announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh each to the kin of the deceased.Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu and others expressed grief over the accident.
Chittoor district deputy transport commissioner M Basireddy said the bus accident was due to speeding and driver negligence.The injured said that the speed of the bus driver was the cause of the accident.
Venu, the groom told that speeding and driver negligence were the cause of the accident.He said that the driver did not hear him saying that he was going at speed.32 People are currently being treated in RUIA hospital, 7 people in SWIMS and 6 people in Bird hospital.The Urban SP said they were investigating the bus accident.
CM Jagan also directed the authorities to provide quality medical treatment to the injured till the victims recover.
