Fifteen students of RSR International School suffered injuries while a 70-year-old cleaner was killed on the spot after a truck rammed into the rear of their school bus near the Musunuru toll plaza near Kavali on Tuesday morning.
Police rushed to the scene and shifted the injured students to the Kavali government hospital for treatment.
Speaking to The Hindu, Kavali Traffic DSP M. Venkata Ramana said: “A school bus of RSR International School met with an accident near the Kavali toll plaza when the students were on their way to school. A truck hit the bus from behind. The driver of the truck absconded from the scene, leaving the vehicle behind. The truck has been seized.”
He added that the cleaner killed in the accident was identified as Devarala Chinakondaiah. As he was standing on the footboard of the bus, he was killed on the spot. His body was shifted to the mortuary at the government hospital.
Kavali MLA Kavya Krishna Reddy announced an ex gratia of ₹50,000 to the family of the deceased. He also met the students undergoing treatment at private hospitals, and assured the parents of all support.
Nellore MP Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy expressed deep concern over the accident, and said his thoughts were with the family of the deceased. The government will offer the family all support, he said.