Fourteen people, including a child, were killed in a road accident in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool district in the early hours of Sunday, 14 February, when the bus in which they were travelling collided with a truck near Madarpur village in Veldurti Mandal, NDTV reported.
The victims are all from Kurnool. Of the 14 dead, eight were women, five were men and one was a child, reported The News Minute.
Four more were injured and have been taken to hospital, according to the report, where they will receive treatment free of cost. NDTV reported that the four are all children and two of them are in a critical condition.
PM Modi condoled the deaths, saying his “thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones.”
WHAT HAPPENED?
The bus reportedly hit the road divider at high speed and ran into the truck on the other side of the road.
Preliminary investigation shows that the driver fell asleep off and was over speeding, causing the accident.
The 18 people were on a pilgrimage tour to Ajmer Dargah in Rajasthan.
WHAT CAUSED THE ACCIDENT?
The Kurnool Superintendent of Police told NDTV that the people inside were crushed inside the bus and their remains had to be extricated with machinery.
The police are probing the accident to find out the cause.
Speaking to the media, Kurnool district Superintendent of Police Dr K Pakirappa said, “It’s an unfortunate incident. The police rushed to the spot immediately. We are yet to find the cause of the accident. However, from the preliminary investigation, it seems that the driver was sleepy. We will further investigate the issue with a technical team to find if there was any issue with the vehicle.”
(With inputs from ANI, The News Minute and NDTV.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)