TIRUPATI: A horrific road accident on Monday afternoon in Thotapalli village, Pakala Mandal, Tirupati district, claimed the lives of five individuals and left two others injured when their car crashed into a container truck. The victims, residents of Bengaluru in Karnataka and Hosur, Tamil Nadu, were travelling in a Maruti Ertiga (TN 70 AH 2745) when the accident occurred on a national highway.
According to Chandragiri DSP Prasad, the car was following a container truck (KA 51 AK 6158) when it veered underneath the larger vehicle, resulting in a catastrophic impact. The car was crushed beneath the lorry, and the lorry driver, unaware of the collision, continued driving briefly before stopping.
The deceased were identified as Vijayalakshmi (50), Sahana BS (34), Rajani SR (27), R Lekhan Gowda (11), all from Bengaluru, and Thiagarajan (48), the driver from Hosur, Tamil Nadu. The injured, Geethamma (51) from Hasan, Karnataka, and Krisvin (15), son of Thiagarajan, from Hosur, were rushed to the SVR Ruia Government General Hospital in Tirupati for treatment.
Tirupati SP V Harshavardhana Raju, who oversaw rescue operations at the site, attributed the accident to the car driver’s negligence and rash driving.