At least 14 people, including five women and a child, were killed when a mini bus overturned and collided with a truck in Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool early Sunday morning.
The accident occurred around 4.30 a.m. on Hyderabad-Bengaluru national highway near Madapuram in Velduri mandal, about 25 km from Kurnool town.
Kurnool Superintendent of Police K. Fakirappa said the mini bus was carrying 18 people, who were on their way to Ajmer in Rajasthan for pilgrimage. Four children survived the accident with injuries but the condition of two of them is stated to be critical.
The mini bus overturned after hitting the road divider and collided with a truck coming from the opposite direction, on the other side of the road.
Such was the impact of the collision that the bodies were crushed inside the vehicles and rescue workers had to use machines to extricate them.
The injured children were shifted to a hospital in Kurnool. Police gathered details of the victims from Aadhaar cards and other documents found in the vehicle. They belonged to three families from Madanapalle in Chittoor district and were on their way to Ajmer Dargah.
Police suspect that the driver was sleepy and driving the vehicle at a very high speed which led to the tragedy.
Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has expressed deep sorrow for the loss of human life in the road accident.
He instructed the concerned officials to expedite relief and medical help. Reddy conveyed his condolences to the bereaved family members and wished speedy recovery of the injured.
Sunday's accident comes two days after a tourist bus plunged into a gorge in Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh. Four tourists from Hyderabad were killed and 22 injured in the mishap.