TIRUPATI: Four people were killed and 15 others injured in a road accident near Gangasagaram village of Chittoor district in the early hours of Friday.
According to the Chittoor Taluk police, the accident involved a private travel bus heading to Madurai and Trichy in Tamil Nadu from Tirupati. The bus driver lost control of the steering wheel when he tried to avoid hitting a stationary truck. The bus, which swerved, hit a road divider and spun in a turtle shape. The accident occurred around 2:45 a.m. Four people died at the scene and 15 others were injured.
The deceased were identified by the police as M Ponchadry (33), K Sridhar (21), both residents of Tirupati, Jeeva (40) of Kanyakumari and AG Prashanth (40) of Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu.
The injured passengers were rushed to Vellore CMC, Chittoor government hospital and Sri Venkateswara institute of medical sciences in Tirupati for treatment. Chittoor district collector Sumit Kumar visited the accident site and supervised the rescue and relief measures.
Speaking to reporters, Sumit Kumar stated that all the injured were shifted to various hospitals to ensure the best medical care. “We have ordered an investigation into the accident to ensure accountability,” he added. The Chittoor Taluk police, who registered the case, are of the view that the driver of the private bus was driving at high speed and could not see the stationary truck until he was very close to it. And in the process of trying to avoid hitting the truck, the driver lost control of the bus, causing the tragic road accident.