Nine Dead, 18 Injured as Bus Falls 200 Feet into Ravine in Andhra Pradesh’s ASR District

A private travels bus en route from a tribal area in Telangana to Visakhapatnam met with a catastrophic accident in the pre-dawn darkness of Thursday, plummeting nearly 200 feet into a thickly forested ravine in Alluri Sitharama Raju district of Andhra Pradesh. The ill-fated vehicle, carrying 35 passengers besides two drivers and a cleaner, lost control while negotiating a notorious hairpin bend near Tulasipakalu village on the treacherous Chintur-Bhadrachalam ghat section around 5:30 am. Eyewitnesses reported hearing a loud screech followed by screams as the bus lights vanished into the abyss.

Rescue operations turned into a race against time as the crash site lies in extremely rugged terrain surrounded by dense jungle and steep rocky slopes. Local police, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel, fire tenders, and hundreds of tribal villagers joined hands to form human chains and use ropes to reach the mangled remains of the bus lying upside down among boulders and trees. Several passengers were found pinned under seats and twisted metal, while others were thrown out during the violent roll. The operation continued for hours under torchlight and later daylight, with rescuers cutting through the wreckage with gas cutters.

Nine passengers — including three women and one minor girl — were declared brought dead by medical teams that reached the spot. At least 18 others sustained grievous injuries, including multiple fractures, head trauma, and internal bleeding. Seven critically injured were initially rushed to the Community Health Centre in Chintur, 15 km away, but doctors there immediately referred the most serious cases to the Area Hospital in Bhadrachalam and higher facilities in Khammam. Authorities have kept ambulances and a medical helicopter on standby for possible airlifting as the condition of several victims remains critical.

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Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who was briefed early morning, termed the incident “heart-wrenching” and personally monitored the situation from Amaravati. He spoke to the District Collector and Superintendent of Police multiple times, directing that no effort be spared in saving lives. The Chief Minister announced ex-gratia of ₹10 lakh each to the kin of the deceased and free treatment for all injured under the Aarogyasri scheme. He ordered a magisterial inquiry into the accident and asked the transport and police departments to immediately audit safety standards on all ghat roads connecting agency areas.

Preliminary investigation suggests the driver may have misjudged the sharp curve in low visibility or fallen asleep, though locals allege the bus was overloaded and speeding. The Chintur ghat road has earned a deadly reputation over the years, having witnessed dozens of similar accidents due to poor barricading, narrow width, and frequent fog. Road safety activists have renewed demands for immediate installation of crash barriers, speed governors, and warning systems. As grieving families have begun arriving at the accident site and hospitals, while identification of bodies continues through whatever documents and belongings could be recovered from the ravine.

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