7 women dead as bus crashes into autorickshaw in Andhra Pradesh

Rajamahendravaram: Seven women died on the spot after an autorickshaw in which they were travelling in collided head-on with a private bus on a highway in Kakinada district of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday, police said.

The accident happened on Tallarevu bypass road in the district around 3.30 pm when the overspeeding private bus coming from the opposite direction on the highway rammed into the auto-rickshaw, which was heading towards Yanam, police said.

The bus driver was taken into police custody after the incident while the auto-rickshaw driver escaped unhurt.

Of the 14 women passengers travelling in the auto-rickshaw, six were killed on the spot while one person died in hospital, police said. The vehicle was travelling in excess of capacity as the auto-rickshaw should carry a maximum of seven people only.

They further said all women passengers were labourers employed in a privately-owned shrimp farm in Koringa village of Kakinada district and were returning to their homes in Yanam. All the deceased were natives of Yanam.

As many as seven women were critically injured in the crash and admitted to Kakinada government general hospital where they are being treated.

On receiving the information, a police team reached the spot and moved the bodies that were lying scattered on the road to the hospital for post-mortem.

Korangi police registered a case and an investigation is underway.