Disasters & Accidents

At least 9 killed, 22 injured as bus falls into river in south India

New Delhi, Dec 15 (EFE).- At least 9 people were killed and 22 were injured on Wednesday when a bus fell into a river in India’s southern state of Andhra Pradesh, officials said.

“Nine people drowned in a rivulet in Jangareddygudem,” a village situated in the West Godavari district, local administration official YV Prasanna Lakshmi told EFE. 

District police superintendent Rahul Dev Sharma told reporters that 47 passengers had been traveling in the bus, which belongs to Andhra Pradesh’s public transport company.

“The bus hit the bridge’s railing and fell into the rivulet” while trying to avoid a truck, the officer said.

State transport minister Perni Venkatramaiah has ordered an investigation into the accident, while Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy announced financial compensation for the family members of the deceased.

Traffic accidents in India are common due to poor condition of roads, precarious state of some vehicles and lack of respect for traffic rules.

In February, 51 people were killed after a crowded coach plunged into a canal in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, one of the worst road accidents of its kind.

In 2019, a total of 151,113 people lost their lives and more than 451,000 others were injured in some 449,000 road accidents in India, according to the latest data from the Ministry of Road and Highway Transport. EFE

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