CHITTOOR: Five devotees from Bengaluru were killed in a road accident near YSR Junction in Gangavaram mandal of Chittoor district on Wednesday morning while travelling to Tirumala for darshan.
The deceased were identified as Mohan Das (71), Nagaraja Rao (61), Kusuma (61), Jayanthi (59), and Pooja (33). All were residents of Bengaluru.
According to police, the car in which they were travelling rammed a cement-laden lorry from behind on the Bengaluru–Chittoor National Highway near Palamaneru. The lorry, which had reportedly unloaded cement and was proceeding towards Kurnool, was moving ahead when the speeding car crashed into its rear.
The impact was severe, and the car got wedged beneath the lorry. All five occupants died on the spot. The vehicle was extensively damaged in the collision.
On being alerted, police rushed to the spot and initiated rescue operations. With the assistance of earthmovers, the mangled car was extricated from under the lorry. The bodies were shifted to a government hospital for post-mortem.
Vehicular movement on the highway was disrupted for some time as rescue and clearance operations were carried out. A case has been registered and investigation is under way.
Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Transport Minister Mandipalli Ramprasad Reddy expressed shock over the incident. He spoke to district officials to ascertain details and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families, assuring them of government support.