Two persons were killed on the spot, while a third died in hospital and seven others suffered injuries when an APSRTC bus ran amok and knocked them down on Budameru Bridge here around 6 a.m. on Friday.
The bus which came speeding down the Singhnagar Rail overbridge rammed the victims who were going on two-wheelers as they were proceeding slowly on the bridge and then ran over them when they fell. The driver reportedly could not control the bus as the brakes allegedly failed. The wheels of the bus crushed Shaik Kursheed Begum, 35, and her daughter Shaik Asra, 12, killing them instantly. The mother and daughter who belonged to Mylavaram had come to the city to visit relatives and were returning home when the accident occurred. The other victim, G Veera Chandra, 32, of Nunna was on his way to his morning exercise. Seven others who suffered injuries have been admitted to the Government hospital for treatment.
Eyewitness said that the bus came to a halt only after it was blocked by a lorry at the end of the Budameru Bridge. The lorry driver with presence of mind used his vehicle to stop the bus from going off the road into encroachments on the road margins preventing more casualties.