The Hindu : Front Page : Seven burnt alive in road accident

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 14, 2005

Front Page

Front Page

Seven burnt alive in road accident

Staff Reporter

Luxury bus and lorry go up in flames after collision in Khammam district

GHASTLY ACCIDENT: The remains of the bus involved in accident on Tuesday being examined by policemen.

KHAMMAM: Six persons, including two constables, were roasted alive while another one succumbed to burns on the way to hospital as a luxury bus and lorry, laden with power conductor, went up in flames after colliding with each other, near Anjanapuram village on the Khammam-Aswaraopet State highway at 3.10 a.m. on Tuesday. Some bodies are beyond the scope of identification. Ten persons injured in the accident were admitted to the District Headquarters Hospital.

The casualties would have been high but for the valiant effort made by one occupant in breaking the glasses and helping out others. Those who were trapped in the seats had none to rescue them. They were all charred to death. The police, who responded promptly, rushed the injured swiftly to the District Headquarters Hospital and the Mamata Medical College hospital by arranging ambulances.

The bus, which was on its way from Hyderabad to Visakhapatnam with 33 persons aboard, was completely destroyed. The lorry, which was on its way from Calcutta to Hyderabad, was also damaged extensively. The State highway was blocked with wreckage of both vehicles. A large number of lorries and buses were stranded on both sides for about three hours.

The police cleared the road around 6.30 a.m. Many of the survivors boarded other buses for their destinations without even waiting for medical treatment. The charred remains of a victim were found with handcuffs.

He was identified as one of two accused persons picked up in Hyderabad by the police of Malkapuram (Visakhapatnam rural district) in connection with a bank fraud case.

SI escapes

Two constables-- D. Rambabu and Satyanarayana-- who were escorting the accused, were also killed while their sub-inspector Srinivas managed to escape with injuries. Other victims are yet to be identified. The bus had a motor cycle in its cargo space.

The Superintendent of Police, Rajeev Kumar Meena, visited the place and monitored shifting of the injured persons to the hospital. The Collector, Rajendra Narendra Nimje, visted the injured persons in the hospital.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page