TIRUPATI: Three people died and three others were injured when two cars collided head-on near VKR Puram on the national highway in Nagari mandal on Tuesday morning.
The deceased were Santhanam (39) and Shankar Subramani (50), both workers from the Tiruchanur Padmavathi Ammavari Temple potu section, and Arunkumar (40), a private employee from Medambakkam, Chennai.
The injured have been identified as Tamilselvi (36), Madan (40), and Yashwanth (11). They were treated at Nagari Area Hospital before being shifted to a private hospital in Tambaram, Chennai, due to severity of injuries.
Police said Santhanam and Shankar Subramani were travelling in a car driven by Santhanam on their routine visit to Tiruttani Subramanya Swamy Temple.
Arunkumar, his wife Tamilselvi, nephew Yashwanth, and family driver Madan were travelling to Tirumala to fulfil a religious vow. Both cars collided at VKR Puram, leaving them damaged.
DSP Syed Mohammad Aziz and CI Mallikarjun Rao supervised rescue operations at the site. The bodies were sent for postmortem, and a case has been registered. Police investigation is ongoing. At the hospital, Tamilselvi, a cardiac patient, was initially told her husband was undergoing treatment to prevent emotional shock, as Arunkumar had died in the crash.
Minister Mandipalli Ramprasad Reddy expressed grief over the mishap.