Eighteen of the 24 passengers trapped in a state-owned bus after being caught in flash floods in the Gunjana river in Kadapah have been rescued, officials said on Friday.

Twenty-four passengers, including the driver and conductor, spent a sleepless night in the bus amidst swirling waters near Chitvel when their bus got trapped in the swollen stream on Mondayay.

The state government had requisitioned two helicopters from Bangalore to rescue the stranded passengers, but due to inclement weather, the chopper could not land at the spot and returned to Bangalore.

As the water level was increasing gradually around the bus, the passengers climbed atop the bus to save their lives.

District administration, with the help of fire brigade personnel and locals were involved in the rescue operations.

Officials had also installed spotlights to infuse confidence in the trapped passengers.

With the help of a rope, the district administration rescued 18 passengers. In the process, two persons including a home guard fell in the swirling waters while others went missing.