One dead, 13 children injured as school bus hits pole

One cyclist died and 13 school students in the age group of 5 to 12 years sustained injuries as a school bus hit an electric pole and tilted to one side on the steep ghat road near Ravanapalle village under Golugonda mandal in the Agency area in the district on Monday morning.

The incident occurred around 7.30 a.m. when a bus belonging to Rushi Valley English Medium School was ferrying the children from Chintapalli to Narsipatnam. The driver of the bus, while negotiating a sharp bend on the ghat road ,lost control of the vehicle and first hit a cyclist, then hit a big boulder and finally crashed into an electric pole and tilted to one side.

Cyclist G. Demudu of Ravanepalli village sustained severe head injuries and died while undergoing treatment at Narsipatnam area hospital and the 13 children received minor injuries.

“The accident would have been a major one, if the bus had overturned or skidded down the hill slope,” said Golugonda Sub-Inspector of Police N. Jogarao.

At the time of the accident there were 15 students in the bus, and all the 13 who received injuries were treated and discharged, said the SI.

The driver of the bus fled the scene after the accident and the police registered a case of negligent driving against him.