3 killed in bus-van collision

SRIKAKULAM: Three persons, including a woman, were killed when the van in which they were travelling collided with an RTC Pallevelugu bus on the Chennai-Howrah national highway near Murupaka junction in Etcherla mandal on Saturday night.The accident occured around 10.30 p.m. The van, carrying 13 people was proceeding from Murupaka village to Rayagada in Odisha while the RTC bus was on its way to Srikakulam from Visakhapatnam.According to reports, the van was in the process of taking a diversion and was on the wrong side of the road when the bus rammed into it. Two of the van occupants - N Sreeramulu and T Ramarao, both from Murupaka village - died on the spot. Another woman N Ramanamma died on the way to the hospital. Five people were injured.All the passengers of the bus are said to be safe but the driver fled away.