Vijayawada, Feb 28 (DC): 8 people were killed and at least 30 others injured after a private bus heading to Bhubaneswar from Hyderabad fell into a river near Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh early morning on Tuesday.

10 of the injured are critical, said a report. The bus, Diwakar Travels, was owned by Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MLA from Tadipatri JC Prabhakar Reddy.

The injured have been taken to the Nandigama Government Hospital, said reports.

The bus had made a stop at Vijayawada along its 1000-kilometre journey, where a new driver took over. It overran a bridge divider and plunged through the gap between the two lanes into a river in Mullapadu around 5:30 am, said reports.

The bus was carrying 45 passengers when the tragedy occurred.

The driver was named Adirayana had fallen asleep at the wheel, and his negligence is being seen as the prime cause of the accident.

Soon after the incident, an eye witness called the police. Authorities in Krishna district were asked to constantly aid the injured and track their health condition.

Gas cutters were used to rescue the passengers.

Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister Chinna Rajappa and Health Minister Kamineni Srinivas are continuously monitoring the situation