13 killed in two accidents in Andhra and Telangana

Ten passengers, including two women, were killed and 18 others injured when a private bus they were travelling in fell into a canal at Nayakangudem in Telangana's Khammam district in wee hours on Monday, police said.

Besides, in another accident, three persons died in Andhra Pradesh when their car met with an accident in Chittoor district on Monday morning when they were returning from the Krishna Pushkaram festival, they said.

The bus accident occurred at around 3 am when the vehicle, proceeding to Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh from Hyderabad, hit a road railing of a bridge and fell into the canal under Kusumanchi Mandal of Khammam district resulting in the death of 10 passengers and injuries to 18 others, a senior police officer said.

"Around 30 passengers, besides two drivers and two attendants, were travelling in the ill-fated bus when the mishap occurred. After the accident, both the drivers and the attendants are not to be seen," DIG (Warangal Range) T Prabhakar Rao told PTI over phone.

As per preliminary information, the bus was on high speed and the driver seems to have lost control over the wheels resulting in the accident, the DIG said.

The injured were rushed to Government General Hospital in Khammam, he said adding that police were in the process of registering a case.

Earlier, Khammam collector Lokesh Kumar and senior police officials visited the spot and monitored the rescue operation.

The Andhra Pradesh government announced an ex-gratia of Rs 3 lakh each to the kin of the 10 deceased.

Some of the victims belonged to East Godavari and some were from West Godavari district of the AP.

Meanwhile, three persons were killed in a separate road accident in the AP's Chittoor district.

The car they were travelling in rammed into a stationary lorry on the highway at Srimallavaram village, killing three persons belonging to Madanapalle.

The victims were returning to their town after taking part in the Krishna Pushkaram.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed grief over the accidents and spoke to the collectors of East Godavari and Chittoor districts over phone to enquire about the incidents, a communication from the CMO said.