Suffocation to blame for most of the deaths

HYDERABAD: The ill-fated bus may have fallen down the Kondagattu ghat road into a valley 30 feet below, but it was asphyxiation that reportedly emerged as the major killer. As the bus was overcrowded, almost double the capacity, there was little space left for passengers when the bus turned four times before falling into the deep gorge.The passengers fell one over another resulting in shortage of oxygen. This led to suffocation. Most victims were women. There were a few children too. It is also believed that overcrowding of the bus led to the mishap as passengers were ejected forward after the vehicle hit the speed breaker. The passengers reportedly fell on the driver causing imbalance of the steering. The ghat road is narrow and the bus fell into the valley.Doctors at Jagtial government hospital, where the bodies were kept for identification and post mortem, are also of the view that suffocation further complicated matters, particularly those, who received severe injuries. The maximum seating capacity of RTC buses is between 45 and 55 and there were 88 people on board.