As many as 16 persons, 13 of them students, were killed and 40 others injured when a crowded bus slid down the road between Penukonda and Madakasira in the Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday morning.
The "Palle Velugu" bus (AP 28 Z 1053), belonging to the state-owned Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation, met with the accident while proceeding from Madakasira to Penukonda.
Preliminary enquiries by the police revealed that the bus driver reportedly lost control while trying to avoid hitting an auto-rickshaw coming from the opposite direction, and plunged into a 60-feet gorge.
Poor visibility due to fog is also suspected to have led to the tragic accident.
The impact of the bus fall from a 60-feet height was so intense that the body of the bus was badly mangled, and as many as 15 persons died on the spot.
Many of the victims were intermediate students who were going to their colleges to write their half-yearly examinations.
The deceased also include two women and a police constable.
The bus driver succumbed to the injuries while undergoing treatment at the hospital.
Hundreds of people from nearby villages rushed to the spot to help the victims. The injured were immediately rushed to hospitals in Hindupur, Anantapur and Bangalore.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed shock and grief over the accident. The Chief Minister announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakhs for the families of each of the dead, and Rs 2 lakh each for those grievously injured.
Deputy Chief Minister N Chinna Rajappa announced a probe into the incident. (INN)