A private bus carrying 31 passengers overturned into a canal near Silaayathi in Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, earlier today after the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle. Rescue operations are underway, and further details on casualties or injuries are awaited. In recent times the number of bus accidents have been on the rise. On October 24th, a Bengaluru-bound private bus caught massive fire in Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool district killing 20 people. The ill-fated bus, carrying 41 passengers, collided with bike of B Shiva Shankar who lost his life in the accident. He was “under the influence of alcohol” when his two-wheeler slipped on a wet road and toppled.
Many passengers were asleep and lost their lives without realizing the bus had caught fire around 3 AM. The blaze completely destroyed the sleeper bus, leaving only a metal frame, a report by PTI noted. Several bodies were so badly burned that officials had to call forensic teams to collect DNA samples of those who lost lives.Among those on board were a few tech professionals, including one heading to Bengaluru for an interview at a leading IT company. ,
PM Modi paid condolences over the loss of lives in the incident. "Extremely saddened by the loss of lives due to a mishap in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh," PM Modi said in a post on ‘X’, adding, “An ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given ₹50,000.”President Droupadi Murmu called the incident "unfortunate". "I extend my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family members and pray for the speedy recovery of those injured," she said in a post on X. Road accidents claimed around 180,000 lives in India last year - the highest in the world - mostly due to speeding, reckless driving and risky manoeuvres by vehicles.