19 hours ago
Woman killed, one injured as APSRTC bus rams into platform in Vizag
A woman died and another passenger was injured when a speeding Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) bus rammed into a station platform where passengers were waiting, at Dwaraka Bus Station in the city on Monday.
The authorities have not confirmed the cause of the accident, but it is suspected that the accident occurred due to brake failure.
The deceased has been identified as Gedela Muthyalamma (45), a resident of Pothanapalli village in S. Kota mandal in Vizianagaram district.
According to eyewitnesses, the bus rammed into the station platform between Platforms 24 and 25 at around 4:45 p.m. Muthyalamma was hit by the bus and died on the spot. A man waiting near Muthyalamma sustauined greivous injuries.
Two Town police shifted the body to King George Hospital (KGH) for post-mortem. The injured was admitted to the same hospital.
According to APSRTC Deputy Chief Traffic Manager K. Padmavathy, the bus, a hired vehicle being used as a Palle Velugu service, plies between Srikakulam and Visakhapatnam.
'After arriving from Srikakulam, the driver kept the bus at the drop-off point for around 30 minutes after all the passengers alighted. The incident happened when the driver was trying to park the vehicle at the bus bay on the platform to pick up passengers for the return journey. We are yet to ascertain the exact reason behind the incident. The police are investigating. As per rules, the speed limit for buses on the bus station premises is 5 kmph,' Ms. Padmavathy told The Hindu.
The bus has been seized and the driver has been taken into custody, the police said, adding that an alcohol test performed on the driver came negative.
'Preliminary investigation suggested that a brake failure might have caused the incident. The driver also claimed the same. However, we are investigating the case thoroughly,' the police told the media.
In a similar incident at Pandit Nehru Bus Station (PNBS) in Vijayawada in November 2023, three passengers died on the spot after an APSRTC bus rammed into a platform.
