14 Dead, 4 Injured In Kurnool Road Mishap

14 people, including eight women and a child, traveling from Andhra Pradesh's Chittoor district towards Hyderabad, were killed today when the minibus they were in, collided with a truck.

The bus driver also lost his life. Four children, the only survivors of the accident, were left grievously injured.

All the deceased were natives of Ammacheruvu Mitta village, near Chittoor district's Madanapalle.

The tragedy reportedly occurred at about 3:30 am, on NH 44, near Veldurti mandal's Madarpur village, in Kurnool district.

Addressing the incident, Veldurti sub-inspector Peddaiah Naidu and Krishnagiri sub-inspector Ramanjaneya Reddy said that the group was travelling to Ajmer, in Rajasthan.

The two officials also said, "It is likely that the bus driver lost control of his vehicle which caused it to crash into a road median. The bus then rolled to the other side of the road, causing it to collide with the passing truck."

"We are currently trying to identify the victims using Aadhaar details and other identification documents. The injured children have been shifted to the Kurnool Government General Hospital for treatment. The condition of two of the four survivors is quite serious," they added.

The police are currently trying to ascertain whether the incident was caused by a tyre explosion, or the negligence of the driver.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jaganmohan Reddy expressed his shock at the accident, and conveyed his condolences to the families of the deceased victims.

He announced ex-gratia aid of Rs 2 lakh each to the family members of those who had lost their lives in the tragedy and aid of Rs 1 lakh to the four injured victims, and instructed the concerned officials to hasten the release of monetary aid to the victims as well.