Bus plunges into canal in Telangana; 10 dead

Hyderabad, August 22

At least 10 persons were killed and 19 injured when a private bus they were travelling in fell into a canal in Khammam district of Telangana today.

The bus, carrying over 30 passengers, was going from Hyderabad to Kakinada in coastal Andhra Pradesh when the mishap occurred. The over-speeding vehicle fell into the Nagarjuna Sagar Left canal near Nayankan Gudem in Khammam district in the early hours.

The police said seven passengers died on the spot while three succumbed to their injuries at the Khammam Government Hospital. The driver apparently lost control over the vehicle while trying to cross a bridge across the canal around 2.30 am. “Most of the passengers were asleep. The driver applied sudden brakes and the very next moment the bus plunged into the canal,” said a passenger Balakrishna who is recovering at the Khammam hospital.

Khammam district Superintendent of Police Shanawaz Qasim said the driver was absconding. “The police are looking for the driver who seems to have dozed off at the steering wheel. We have pressed into service heavy cranes to pull the bus out of the canal. It took five hours to complete the operation. Many of the injured were rescued by the locals,” he said. — TNS