Eight killed, several injured after bus falls into gorge in AP's east Godavari; cause of accident yet to be ascertained

A total of eight passengers were killed and several others injured when a private tourist bus they were travelling in fell into a gorge between Maredumilli-Chinturu Ghat Road near Andhra Pradesh’s East Godavari district on Tuesday. The bus was travelling from Maredumilli, a tourist destination located at about 40 km from Rajahmundry, to Chinturu, a tribal area on the borders of Chhattisgarh. [caption id=“attachment_4357221” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. News18[/caption] “The bus was carrying tourists and fell into the valley near Valmiki Konda on the Chintoor ghat road in the Agency (tribal) area,” the police said. According to The New Indian Express, the tourist bus carrying an approximate of 20 passengers was on its way to the pilgrim shrine of Annavaram from the temple town of Bhadrachalam town in Telangana’s Khammam district. The report also mentioned that the driver lost control after the vehicle reached Valmiki Hill on the ghat road and the bus fell into the gorge. While five of them died on the spot, three others succumbed to injuries on the way to the hospital, Hindustan Times reported. According to locals the ghat road between Maredumilli and Chintoor was narrow and bumpy. The road also was partially affected due to recent heavy rains. Hindustan Times quoted a resident as saying, “It was still raining in the day and the visibility was poor in the area due to the dense forest.” With inputs from PTI