Andhra: Six charred to death as bus catches fire

Amaravati, May 15 (IANS) Six persons were charred to death and 20 others injured when a private bus caught fire after colliding with a tipper lorry in Andhra Pradesh’s Palnadu district in the early hours of Wednesday.The accident occurred near Pasumarru in Chilkaluripeta Mandal when the bus belonging to private travels collided head-on with a tipper around 1 a.m., police said.The bus was heading to Hyderabad from Nilayapalem in Bapatla district. Injured passengers said they were returning to Hyderabad after casting their votes in Monday’s simultaneous elections to the state Assembly and Lok SabhaThe deceased were identified as Kasi Brahmeshwara Rao (62), Lakshmi (58), Srisai (9), bus driver Anji, tipper driver Hari Singh, a native of Madhya Pradesh. One deceased is yet to be identified.A fire engine rushed to the spot and doused the fire but by then both were completely gutted.The injured were shifted to government hospitals in Chilakaluripet and Guntur.A survivor said passengers rushed out immediately after the bus caught fire following the collision. Some jumped out of the windows by breaking window panes to save themselves. However, an elderly couple and a child could not come out.The bus was carrying about 42 passengers. They hailed from Nilayapalem mandal in Bapatla district and were returning to Hyderabad after casting their votes on Monday.--IANSms/dan

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