8 Killed, 12 Injured in Road Accident in Kurnool
Pilgrims from Karnataka among victims as a car crashes into ready-mix lorry near Mantralayam
KURNOOL: In a devastating road accident in Kurnool district, eight people lost their lives and 13 others sustained serious injuries in the early hours of Thursday.
The incident occurred around 5 am in Mantralayam mandal, casting a pall of gloom over the region.
According to police, all the victims hailed from Chikkamagaluru district. The group, comprising devotees, was travelling in a passenger vehicle to offer prayers at the revered Sri Raghavendra Swamy temple.
Police said, “The accident took place near Chilakaladona village on NH 67, just a few kilometres away from their destination. A speeding ready-mix concrete tanker coming from the opposite direction rammed into the passenger vehicle with lethal force.”
The impact was so severe that the passenger vehicle was completely mangled, while the tanker overturned by the roadside.
Five persons died on the spot, while three died after being shifted to hospital. The accident site was strewn with debris and blood, reflecting the intensity of the collision.
Local residents alerted the police, who rushed to the scene along with emergency teams from Mantralayam and Emmiganur. The injured were first shifted to the Emmiganur area hospital and later referred to Kurnool GGH.
The deceased were Kumar, 50, Deepika Veena, 35, Sunil, 40, Yashoda, 60, Puttamma, 55, Lakshmi, Meenakshi, 50, Belli, 3, and Lolakshi.
The injured were Jayamma, 69, Pratap, 12, Varshitha, 19, Naveen, 19, Tejaswini, 15, Amrutha, 11, Sanchana, 20, Suma Subha, 22, Deepak, 13, Deekshith, 12, Bharathi, 38, Maimar, 19, and Dhanyashree, 15.
The postmortem would conducted at Emmiganur area hospital, police said.
District collector Siri visited the GGH and reviewed the condition of the injured. She said, “All necessary medical facilities are being provided. I have asked the doctors to ensure the best possible treatment to every injured person. The district administration is extending full support to the victims’ families.”
SP Vikrant Patil inspected the accident site and stated, “Preliminary investigation indicates that overspeeding caused the accident. Driver fatigue during early morning hours is also suspected to be a contributing factor. A case has been registered and a detailed investigation is under way. Special teams are searching for the absconding tanker driver.”
The authorities clarified that there are no identified black spots at the accident location.
The victims were just about 13km away from Mantralayam and were expected to reach the temple within minutes. They had planned to take a holy dip in the Tungabhadra river before proceeding for darshan.