Chinturu, 12 Dec

Nine people were killed and 23 others injured after a bus fell off a ghat road and turned turtle here in Alluri Sitaramaraju district in the early hours of Friday, police said.

They said the bus, which was heading to neighbouring Telangana, was carrying 37 people, including the driver and the cleaner. Six of them are safe.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Amit Bardar said the accident occurred around 4.30am on Chintoor-Maredumilli ghat road near a Durga temple.

"At least nine people were killed, and 23 were injured as the bus fell off the ghat road. It turned turtle... and got stuck," Bardar told PTI, adding that four of the injured are critical.

According to the officer, it is likely that the bus driver did not see a curve at the accident site due to heavy fog.

Police said the bus plunged from a higher ghat road and was lying upside down by a road located below. The accident occurred near the China Wall, which was built to prevent vehicles from plunging off the road. "We don't think the death toll will rise, and the four critically injured persons are doing okay," said a police official.

The SP noted that the bus was carrying people from the Chittoor area, who had completed a visit to Araku and were proceeding to the Sri Rama temple at Bhadrachalam in Telangana district.

Mothugudem police station booked a case under Section 106 (which deals with causing death by rash and negligent driving) of BNS. Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed anguish over the accident.

The Chief Minister spoke to officials about the accident to inquire about the treatment being offered to the injured persons, according to an official press release.

Officials informed Naidu that the injured persons were shifted to Chinturu hospital and other hospitals for better treatment.