Seven people were killed and 18 others injured when a State-owned bus carrying a wedding party to Kakinada from Podili plunged into the Nagarjunasagar branch canal carrying Krishna water at Darsi in Prakasam district in the wee hours of July 11.
Police said the mishap occurred when the bus driver tried to avoid hitting a truck coming on the opposite side. The injured were shifted to the Government hospital at Darsi by 108 ambulances. Four of the injured including the bus driver in a serious condition, were shifted to a hospital in Ongole for better treatment.
Superintendent of Police Malika Garg oversaw the rescue operation with the help of earthmovers. Police had a tough time extricating the bodies from the mangled bus. The deceased were identified as Abdul Azeez (65), Abdul Hani (60), Sk. Rameeza (48), M. Nurjahan(58), M. Jani Begam (65), Sk. Sabina (35), Sk. Heena (6). In all, 45 people were travelling by the ill-fated bus.