3 Andhra pilgrims among 5 dead in two Aurangabad road accidents

Aurangabad: Five people died and 30 others sustained injuries in two separate road accidents in Aurangabad district on Sunday night, with a bus carrying Andhra Pradesh pilgrims crashing into a trailer on NH-19 and a separate car–autorickshaw collision adding to the toll.In the first incident, three pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh were killed and 18 others injured when a tourist bus carrying devotees crashed into a trailer truck on National Highway-19 (GT Road) shortly after midnight. The accident took place near Bhawani Hotel, between Bheriya and Deo Mor under the Muffasil police station area.According to police, the bus, carrying around 40 pilgrims and tourists, rammed into the rear of a trailer loaded with iron rods while travelling from Bodh Gaya to Varanasi after visiting Buddhist pilgrimage sites. Aurangabad SP Ambrish Rahul said local police rushed to the spot immediately and launched a rescue operation. The injured were taken to nearby hospitals, while several critically injured passengers were referred to higher centres for treatment.The deceased were identified as P Subbarao Venkateswarlu (64), Sema Padma (42), and Bayadam Hazarayya (60), all residents of Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh. Among the injured are Narendra Reddy (35), Shubham Baira (40), Padmawati (38), Prasad Reddy (62), Aafshal (28), Padma (50), Subutma (55), Kantnapudi (50), Pirawma (48), Vasasho (50), Yangya (80), Aarbinivasush (50) and Yash Prasad (34), all from Andhra Pradesh.The bodies were sent to Aurangabad Sadar hospital for post-mortem. Police recorded statements of witnesses and initiated an investigation to ascertain the exact cause of the accident.In the second incident, two persons were killed and 10 others injured when a car collided with an autorickshaw near Tejpur on the Daudnagar-Barun road under the Obra police station area. The deceased were identified as Umesh Paswan (45) and Rajesh Paswan alias Mukund (55), both residents of Botaliya village in Aurangabad district.The SP confirmed the deaths and said the injured were admitted to a local hospital. The bodies were handed over to family members after post-mortem examinations. Police have registered cases in connection with both incidents and further investigation is underway.