9 dead, 23 injured as bus falls off road in Andhra Pradesh          

Nine people were killed and 23 injured as a bus fell off a road and overturned here in Alluri Sitaramaraju district in the early hours of Friday, police said.

They said the bus, which was heading to neighbouring Telangana, was carrying 37 people, including the driver and the cleaner. Six of them are safe.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Amit Bardar said the accident occurred around 4.30 am on Chintoor-Maredumilli ghat road near a Durga temple.

"At least nine people were killed, and 23 injured as the bus fell off the ghat road. It overturned and got stuck," Bardar told PTI, adding that four of the injured are critical.

According to the officer, it is likely that the bus driver did not see a curve at the accident site due to heavy fog.

Police said the bus plunged from a higher ghat road and was lying upside down by a road located below. The accident occurred near a wall built to prevent vehicles from plunging off the road.

"The four critically injured people are doing okay," said a police official.

The SP noted that the bus was carrying people from Chittoor area, who had completed a visit to Araku and were proceeding to Sri Rama temple at Bhadrachalam in Telangana.

The Mothugudem police station have registered a case under Section 106 (which deals with causing death by rash and negligent driving) of the BNS.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has expressed anguish over the accident.

The chief minister spoke to officials to enquire about the treatment being offered to the injured, said an official press release.

Officials informed Naidu that the injured were shifted to Chinturu and other hospitals.