Four members of a wedding procession, including an 18-month-old girl, were killed and eight others injured after a speeding truck rammed into their vehicle in Andhra Pradesh’s Markapuram district on Friday, police said.
The accident occurred at around 1.30 am on the Amaravati-Anantpur highway when the procession stopped at the Lord Vinayaka temple to perform pre-wedding rituals before heading to Kampham town, where the venue is located.
The deceased have been identified as the bride’s sister-in-law Avula Alakananda (19), her brothers Avula Ankalu (20) and Avula Nagesh (17), and Avula Ankalu’s daughter Nagalakshmi (18 months).
“The wedding procession from Nalabanda Bazaar in Gidalur stopped for a short visit to Lord Vinayaka Temple as part of the traditional pre-wedding rituals before heading to the wedding venue,” said U Naga Raju, police officer of Markkapuram sub-division, adding that bride Avula Veeraka entered the temple to offer prayers and break a coconut before her wedding ceremony scheduled at 9.30 am on Friday.
“While she was inside the temple, other family members sat in the autorickshaw or stood waiting outside. A speeding truck, said to be carrying a load of coconuts from Madanapalle to Wera, allegedly lost control and rammed into the autorickshaw before running over people gathered near the temple,” the officer added.
Police said the impact of the accident killed all four on the spot. The injured were shifted to a government hospital in Markapuram.
The police registered a case and opened an investigation into the incident. They added that the truck driver was arrested for questioning.
State Transport Minister Mandipalli Ramprasad Reddy expressed his condolences to the bereaved families and ordered health department officials to provide the best possible treatment to the injured.
He stressed that the state government would provide all necessary assistance to the affected families, and appealed to motorists to be more careful on the roads.
