10 killed, 19 hurt as bus falls in canal; 3 die in car mishap

Vijayawada (AP): Ten persons were killed and 19 others injured when their bus fell into a canal at Nayakangudem in Khammam district of Telangana in the wee hours today, police said.

Besides, three persons died in Andhra Pradesh when their car met with an accident in Chittoor district early this morning when they were returning from the Krishna Pushkaram festival, they said.

The driver of the private bus was apparently driving the vehicle at a very high speed. He lost control over the wheels, as a result the bus on its way to Kakinada from Hyderabad, fell into the canal under Kusumanchi mandal, police said.

Andhra Pradesh government announced an ex-gratia of Rs 3 lakh each to the kin of the 10 deceased.

Some of the victims belonged to East Godavari and some were from West Godavari district of the AP.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed grief over the accident and spoke to East Godavari district Collector Arun Kumar over phone to enquire about the incident. The 19 injured persons were admitted to the Government General Hospital for treatment, Kumar said.

Meanwhile, three persons were killed in a separate road accident in the Chittoor district early this morning.

The car they were travelling in rammed into a stationary lorry on the highway at Srimallavaram village, killing three persons belonging to Madanapalle.

The victims were returning to their town after taking part in the Krishna Pushkaram.

Naidu also spoke to Chittoor district Collector Siddharth Jain over phone and enquired about the incident, a communication from the CMO here said.