President Kovind condoles loss of lives in Chittoor bus accident

President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday offered condolences to the bereaved families of those killed in a bus accident in Andhra Pradesh's Chittoor and prayed for a speedy recovery of the injured.

Taking to Twitter, Kovind said, "Distressed to know that a road accident in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh caused loss of lives. My condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for speedy recovery of the injured."

Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the loss of lives in a bus accident in Andhra Pradesh's Chittoor and announced ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased.

Ex-gratia of Rs 50,000 has also been announced to those who were injured in the accident from Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF).

As per Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan, eight people were killed while several others sustained injuries in the accident.

The Andhra Pradesh Raj Bhavan said that the district officials briefed the Governor that the accident took place when a private bus carrying 63 persons of a marriage party, proceeding from Dharmavaram in Anantapuram district to Tirupati, lost control while taking a turn on the ghat road and fell into a gorge.

According to the Tirupati Superintendent of Police (SP), the driver's negligence is believed to be the cause of the accident.

"The accident took place as the bus fell off the cliff due to driver's negligence in Bakrapeta, 25 km away from Tirupati," he said. The victims were shifted to a nearby hospital.

( With inputs from ANI )

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