Five people including a child have died, and 13 others are injured after a bus carrying over 30 passengers fell into a gorge at Anantagiri near Araku in Visakhapatnam district on Friday night.
The bus reportedly skid off the road and fell into a gorge. Visakhapatnam range DIG Ranga Rao told PTI that their teams had reached the spot for rescue operations.
Another senior police official said rescue operations by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and state Fire Service personnel were on. According to locals, the passengers were natives of Telangana who were on a visit to Araku, a hill station.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased. "Distressed to hear about the accident in Visakhapatnam, AP. Condolences to the families of those who lost their lives. Prayers with the injured. May they recover soon," he said in a tweet.
Andhra Leader of Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu also expressed his grief at the news of the incident. "Deeply anguished by the tragic bus accident at Araku Ghat road. The loss of precious lives and injury to persons is very unfortunate and painful. I share the pain of the bereaved families & offer my condolences. I pray that those injured in the accident recover at the earliest," he said in a tweet.
TRS leader K T Rama Rao said on Twitter that he was shocked to learn about the bus accident at Araku. He said he had requested the Andhra Pradesh government officials to provide all support.