ANANTAPUR: Nine members of a family, including six women, were killed in a road accident in Anantapur district on Sunday. The family was returning after attending a marriage when the mishap took place. The father of the bride was one among the deceased.
According to Guntakal deputy superintendent of police U Narasingappa, the deceased were from Uravakonda, Bommanahal and Brahmasamudram mandals. They were returning after attending the marriage of the daughter of K Venkatappa Naidu (58). Naidu was the State leader of BJP Kisan Morcha.
Venkatappa Naidu performed his daughter’s marriage at Ballari in Karnataka and was returning along with family members and relatives in an SUV. Naidu reportedly dozed off at the wheel while he was driving and hit a container lorry heading towards Ballari from Uravakonda.
Eight of the occupants — Swathi (38), Jahnavi (12), Jaswanth (12), Saraswati (60), Ashok (30), Radhamma (40), Sivamma (30) and Subhadramma (60) — died on the spot while Venkatappa Naidu died while undergoing treatment at a hospital. Police reportedly struggled to retrieve the bodies as the vehicle was severely mangled. Police have registered a case and are investigating it.
Meanwhile, BJP AP president Somu Veerraju condoled the death of Venkatappa Naidu and his family members in the mishap.