<p>As many as 22 persons, including seven children, were killed today when their vehicle fell off a bridge over Godavari river at Dowleswaram here, police said.<br /><br />The tragedy occurred as a group of pilgrims was returning in an SUV after a visit to the Tirupati temple, police said, adding that the ill-fated travellers hailed from Achyutapuram near Visakhapatnam.<br /><br />A boy, who sustained injuries, is the lone survivor of the mishap. He is undergoing treatment at a hospital, police said.<br /><br />"The vehicle hit a railing, which broke under the impact of the collision, and fell off the bridge," East Godavari Collector Arun Kumar told PTI.<br /><br />Among the deceased are seven children, eight women and seven men, including the driver of the vehicle, who was also its owner, he added.<br /><br />The incident is understood to have occurred in the early hours and police said they were alerted at around 5 A.M.<br /><br />"It's purely (a case of) negligent and rash driving. It was not a vulnerable point of the road and neither was there any traffic," the officer said.</p>.<p><br />Post-mortem procedures were on and the bodies were being handed over to relatives of the deceased, Kumar said, adding that inquiries are being made into the incident.<br /><br />Meanwhile, AP chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed grief over the incident and also posted a message on twitter that the lone survivor in the mishap is undergoing treatment.<br />"Deeply saddened about tragic death of 21 people travelling in a van after it fell off Dowleswaram bridge. I'm monitoring the situation," he tweeted.<br /><br />"The kid, a lone survivor, is undergoing treatment. Spoke to our Home Minister who visited the spot. We're providing all possible help," added Naidu.<br /><br />Deputy Chief Minister N China Rajappa, who belongs to East Godavari district, visited the spot and spoke to the officials.<br /><br />Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, condoled the loss of lives in the mishap and termed the incident "saddening and unfortunate".</p>
<p>As many as 22 persons, including seven children, were killed today when their vehicle fell off a bridge over Godavari river at Dowleswaram here, police said.<br /><br />The tragedy occurred as a group of pilgrims was returning in an SUV after a visit to the Tirupati temple, police said, adding that the ill-fated travellers hailed from Achyutapuram near Visakhapatnam.<br /><br />A boy, who sustained injuries, is the lone survivor of the mishap. He is undergoing treatment at a hospital, police said.<br /><br />"The vehicle hit a railing, which broke under the impact of the collision, and fell off the bridge," East Godavari Collector Arun Kumar told PTI.<br /><br />Among the deceased are seven children, eight women and seven men, including the driver of the vehicle, who was also its owner, he added.<br /><br />The incident is understood to have occurred in the early hours and police said they were alerted at around 5 A.M.<br /><br />"It's purely (a case of) negligent and rash driving. It was not a vulnerable point of the road and neither was there any traffic," the officer said.</p>.<p><br />Post-mortem procedures were on and the bodies were being handed over to relatives of the deceased, Kumar said, adding that inquiries are being made into the incident.<br /><br />Meanwhile, AP chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed grief over the incident and also posted a message on twitter that the lone survivor in the mishap is undergoing treatment.<br />"Deeply saddened about tragic death of 21 people travelling in a van after it fell off Dowleswaram bridge. I'm monitoring the situation," he tweeted.<br /><br />"The kid, a lone survivor, is undergoing treatment. Spoke to our Home Minister who visited the spot. We're providing all possible help," added Naidu.<br /><br />Deputy Chief Minister N China Rajappa, who belongs to East Godavari district, visited the spot and spoke to the officials.<br /><br />Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, condoled the loss of lives in the mishap and termed the incident "saddening and unfortunate".</p>