Rayavaram bus accident: Andhra police hand over 14 charred bodies to kin

Andhra Pradesh Police handed over 14 charred bodies to relatives after DNA confirmation in the Rayavaram bus-truck collision. The March 26 accident in Prakasam district killed 14, including an infant, and injured 22.

Rayavaram (Andhra Pradesh): Andhra Pradesh Police on Saturday handed over the 14 charred bodies of victims of a recent private bus and dumper truck collision to their relatives.

The accident, which occurred in the early hours of March 26 near Rayavaram village in Markapuram district, claimed 14 lives, including a five-month-old infant, and left 22 others injured when the bus collided with the truck, triggering a fire.

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“Last night we received the DNA reports. All the samples matched with the victims’ DNA, and accordingly, the bodies were handed over to their relatives,” SP Raju told PTI.

Debunking the bus driver’s claim that the steering wheel had jammed, he said technical experts confirmed that no such malfunction had occurred.

According to the SP, the bus driver was at fault for veering into the wrong lane and colliding with the truck’s fuel tank.

The violation was further corroborated by a car driver who witnessed the accident while travelling from Podili towards Markapur. The truck driver, who was later detained, also confirmed that the bus driver was at fault.

Raju added that the bus had stopped four times before the accident due to mechanical issues, including a one-hour halt at Yerragondapalem. Passengers had reportedly complained to the driver about the intermittent halts.

The Rayavaram accident is the latest in a series of four major bus accidents in the state over the past six months, which have claimed 45 lives—33 of them in fires—and injured several others.