By Express News Service
KURNOOL: Nine people died and four others were critically injured in a ghastly road mishap on Kurnool-Nandyal highway at Somayajulapalle village in Orvakal mandal of Kurnool district on Sunday morning.
According to the police, a group of people from Chanugondla, Ramallakota, Kalugotla and Kalapari villages of Kodumur, Gudur and Veldurthi mandals in Kurnool district were going to Mahanandi for treatment in three autorickshaws. An APSRTC bus going to Hyderabad from Nandyal hit one of the three autorickshaws, which were coming in the wrong direction.
While seven of the 13 people traveling in that autorickshaw died on the spot, two others succumbed during treatment in Kurnool Government Hospital. The condition of other four people is reported to be critical.
Police who rushed to the spot, on being alerted of the accident said that it was a lucky escape for people in other two autorickshaws. They said it was the negligence of the autorickshaw driver, which caused the mishap.
The deceased were identified as Mareppa, Musalamma, Gouramma, Lakshmi Devi of Kallapari village in Kodumur mandal, Govindamma of Chanugondla village in Gudur mandal, Somakka, Veeramma, Manikyamma and Lakshmi Devi of Ramallakota and Kalugotla villages in Veldurthi mandal. All the deceased were in age group of 60-70 years. A case has been registered and the investigation is on.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on learning of the accident expressed shock and directed Kurnool district collector and Superintendent of Police to render necessary help.
Meanwhile, in another road mishap in Guntur district, two persons died and two others were injured. According to Guntur police, four people were traveling in a jeep, when the driver lost control and it ploughed into a roadside tree. The accident took place at Dechavramdonka of Nekarikallu mandal in Guntur district. The deceased were identified as Naresh and Denu of Devarakonda in Nalgonda district of Telangana state.
A case has been registered and bodies were shifted to a government hospital for postmortem.
