Andhra Pradesh: Three pilgrims killed in road mishap
VIZIANAGARAM: Three pilgrims were killed and around 40 injured in a road accident on NH-16, near Polipalli village in Bhogapuram police station limits of the district on Wednesday. The accident took place at around 2.20 pm after a speeding truck took a U-turn recklessly and rammed into a bus. All the passengers in the bus were pilgrims returning from Varanasi to their native village, Yelamanchili, in the Vizag district.
The deceased have been identified as Karanam Venkanna (60), a resident of Yelamanchili, Beesetti Atchayyamma (58), a resident of B Koduru village, and Kalagana Appalanarsi (51), a resident of Krishnapuram village in Yelamanchili mandal. Both the bus and the truck were completely crushed and majority of the pilgrims sustained minor to moderate injuries.
According to Bhogapuram SI Tarakeswara Rao, a group of 45 pilgrims had gone to Varanasi from Yelamanchili and its surrounding villages on 2 June. While returning from Varanasi, they met with the accident when they were just about 100 km away from their destination. Around 40 pilgrims sustained injuries in the accident and 28 of them were rushed to the NRI Hospital at Nellimarla in Vizianagaram, seven to MR Hospital in Vizianagaram and five to the KGH in Visakhapatnam. The drivers and cleaners of the truck and the bus were also among the injured.
Viziangaram SP G Palaraju directed the police personnel of the surrounding police stations to rush to the spot immediately. The SP and other police officials visited the spot. A case has been registered at Bhogapuram police station and investigation is on. The injured had been shifted to various hospitals.