15 passengers injured as RTC bus overturns on highway, traffic disrupted

VISAKHAPATNAM: Fifteen passengers, including a senior citizen, sustained injuries after a speeding RTC bus overturned near Port Hospital Junction on NH-16 on Monday afternoon. Traffic between Birla Junction and Four Town Police station junction was disrupted for around two hours.
The Visakhapntam-bound RTC bus from Narsipatnam was at a good speed and the accident occurred when the driver took a sharp turn to avoid collision with an auto-rickshaw which reportedly came in front of the vehicle.

Sources said that one elderly woman sustained head injuries while others received minor wounds. Upon information, the highway patrolling vehicle rushed to the spot and rescued the victims and the situation was normalised with the help of police teams.
IV Town sub-inspector Suresh said that the driver wanted to apply sudden brakes when he noticed an auto-rickshaw coming in front of the bus. As the road was also wet owing to rain, the bus hit the divider and overturned. The injured were shifted to a hospital nearby.

“We do not have CC cameras at the Port Hospital junction. Moreover, the passengers too dispersed from the spot when we were busy clearing the traffic. Eyewitnesses did not notice registration number of the auto,” said the SI, adding that they were checking whether there was any brake failure.
After the accident, the road between IV-Town police station and Kancharapalem had chock-a-block traffic. The police managed to control the situation by making the road one-way, till the bus was shifted.