Four die as RTC bus falls into valley

ADILABAD:Four persons died when an RTC bus rolled off the ghat road and plunged into the valley at Loddiguda in Tiryani mandal of the district on Monday morning.According to sources, the breaks of the bus failed and the vehicle went out of the control of the driver leading to the mishap.Two passengers died on the spot while two others succumbed to injuries in hospital. All the 40 passengers in the bus were hurt in the accident. The injured were being treated in three hospitals.The dead were identified as D Bojjarao (55) of Pandiri Madaram village, Atram Maru (25), bus driver Jadav Bukkayya and Jadav Kishan. The last two died while undergoing treatment in Jainooru Primary Heath Centre and Tiryani Health Centre respectively. Among the other injured, those with minor wounds were  being treated at Tiryani and Jainooru PHCs while the seriously hurt passengers were shifted to Mancherial government hospital. All of them were declared to be out of danger, sources said.Narrating the incident, sources said, the bus was on its way from Utnoor to Pandiri Madaram. Around 10 am, it was passing through a ghat road. While the driver was negotiating a curve, breaks failed and the driver lost control of the vehicle which hurtled down into the valley. The 108 staff, who reached the accident spot on being informed, had a difficult time rescuing the passengers from valley.Bellampally deputy superindent of police (DySP) Ravinder Reddy visited the spot. The APSRTC gave Rs 10,000 to the kin of those dead as immediate help. RTC Adilabad regional manager Ch Ajay announced Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia to the kin of the deceased.