At least eight pilgrims were killed and several others sustained injuries after a private bus skidded off the Chintur–Naredumilli ghat road and fell into a gorge in Andhra Pradesh’s Alluri Sitharamaraju district early Friday.

The mishap occurred when the driver reportedly failed to handle a sharp curve, causing the vehicle to crash into a safety barrier before tumbling into the valley.

The bus, carrying 37 passengers including two drivers, was en route to the Annavaram temple. All the travellers hailed from Chittoor district and were returning from a visit to the Bhadrachalam temple in Telangana.

Due to the lack of mobile network coverage in the remote area, the alert reached the Mothugunta police after a delay. Once informed, police teams rushed to the site and commenced rescue operations. Eight bodies were recovered, and the injured were taken to a hospital in Chintur. Three ambulances and five police vehicles were deployed to expedite the evacuation.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu expressed profound shock over the tragedy and spoke with officials to monitor rescue and relief efforts. He instructed them to ensure the injured receive the best medical care.

Home Minister V. Anitha and Tribal Welfare and Women & Child Welfare Minister G. Sandhya Rani also departed for the accident site. They interacted with district authorities and urged them to provide all necessary support to the victims and their families.

The tragedy comes amid rising concerns over road safety in Andhra Pradesh. Last month, the Chief Minister had ordered third-party audits to assess the causes of increasing road mishaps. During a Road Safety Council meeting, he highlighted that 6,433 people have died in 15,462 accidents across the state this year alone.

Officials say over-speeding accounts for 79% of road accidents, while wrong-side driving contributes 3%, and alcohol and mobile phone use make up about 1%. Andhra Pradesh currently ranks eighth in India in terms of road accidents.