Seven killed in AP as bus plunges into canal
Darsi (Andhra Pradesh) (PTI): Seven people died and several others were injured when a bus carrying a marriage party fell into a canal in the early hours of Tuesday in Prakasam district, police said.
The accident occurred near Darsi when the APSRTC bus in which nearly 45 persons were travelling fell into the NSP canal, resulting in the death of five women, a six-year old girl and a man, police said.
The mishap took place on the outskirts of Darsi when the driver of the RTC bus carrying the marriage party plunged into the canal while trying to avoid a private bus coming in the opposite direction, Prakasam district superintendent of police Mallika Garg told PTI.
The bus also hit a pole before falling into the canal, Garg said. The driver, who survived in the accident, said the steering stopped working and the brakes had also failed, the police official added.
Police said the driver of the RTC bus lost control of the vehicle after crossing the first of the two bridges when the private bus veered into its lane.
She said as per initial reports, the reason for the deaths was suffocation as people who were seated in the front portion got crushed due to the weight of others from the rear portion falling on them.
However, the driver and his assistant managed to survive.
The survivors broke windows to free themselves.
As many as 18 persons suffered injuries, police said, adding five of them have been referred to a hospital in Ongole and were said to be stable.
A crane was deployed at the accident site to rescue the injured persons.
Incidentally, a family from Podili had hired the APSRTC bus to go to Kakinada to attend a reception. They boarded the bus at 12:35 AM and some 15 minutes later when they had reached the outskirts of Darsi the accident occurred.
Following an initial probe, police ruled out drunk driving as a cause of the mishap.
Police have booked a case under IPC Section 304 and are investigating.
Meanwhile, an official release from Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy's office said the CM has expressed grief over the incident.
The CM ordered officials to ensure better medical care for the injured.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
