AP: 12 people feared dead in Penukonda road accident

Twelve people were reported dead and more than twenty five injured, even as reports come in, in an accident involving an APSRTC bus falling downhill on the Hindupur - Madakasira ghat road.

An Andhra Pradesh State Road Transportation Corporation (APSRTC) bus carrying more than fifty people, mostly students coming from Madakasira town to Hindupur for higher studies, started from Madakasira to Penukonda at around 7:45.

When the bus was negotiating a curve, less than 10 kms from the Penukonda town, on the intervening ghat section of the road, it fell into a gorge of around 30 feet in depth.

Survivors of the accident told The Hindu that the bus driver fell into a dug up patch of the road, which is under repair, as he tried to avoid an incoming vehicle in the opposite direction, leading to a bus overturn and slip down the gorge.

As per the police, a total of twenty five people have been identified as injured and have been sent to the Penukonda and Hindupur government hospitals for treatment.

Meanwhile, as reports last came in, 12 people, mostly students have been confirmed dead by the revenue and police authorities, although the bodies are yet to be identified.

However, it is feared, the death roll might increase further as the rescue operations take time, given the location.

The police and revenue authorities can be seen working in full swing in a race against time, given the location, to help out the injured primarily and look for the severely injured but alive people.