Andhra Pradesh: Five die as tourist bus falls into gorge in East Godavari district

Hyderabad: At least five tourists died and several others were injured when a bus they were travelling in fell into a gorge in a forest in Andhra Pradesh's East Godavari district on Tuesday. The victims are said to be from Hyderabad.

There were about 20-25 passengers on board of the bus. Five of them died on the spot.

The condition of a few others is said to be critical.

The bus was travelling from Maredumilli, a tourist spot located at about 40 km from Rajamahendravaram, to Chinturu, a tribal area on the borders of Chhattisgarh.
“The incident happened near Valmiki Konda while negotiating a turn on the ghat road at around noon. The driver might have lost control over the steering, as a result of which the bus fell into the deep gorge,” an official from Maredumilli police station said.

The officials, who were in the state government's new 'Rytu Bharosa' inauguration programme, rushed to the spot with rescue teams.

The ghat road between Maredumilli and Chinturu was narrow, bumpy and was badly damaged due to the recent heavy rains. It was still raining in the day and the visibility was poor in the area, reports said.