Eight people were killed and 13 others injured when the SUV they were traveling in collided with a ready-mixed concrete truck near Chillakaladonna village in Mantralayam area of Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh in the early hours of Thursday, police said.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed grief over the incident and directed officials to ensure the best possible treatment of the injured and provide support to the bereaved families.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed his condolences over the loss of lives and announced an ex-gratia $2 lakh each to the family of the deceased and $50 thousand for the injured from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.
“I offer my condolences to those who lost their loved ones and pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. $2 lakh PMNRF will be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The wounded will be given $PM Modi said in a post on X.50,000.
State Transport Minister Mandipalli Ramprasad Reddy and Industries Minister T G Bharat Gupta also expressed their condolences and directed officials to provide necessary medical care to the injured.
The car was carrying 21 devotees from Chikmagalur in Karnataka to the Sri Raghavendra Swamy Temple in Mantralayam. “The accident occurred around 3.30 am when the driver of the SUV lost control, swerved into the opposite lane, and collided with an oncoming truck,” Yumganur Deputy Superintendent of Police N Bhargavi said.
He added that emergency teams rushed to the scene and carried out rescue operations. Police said the mangled car indicated the seriousness of the collision, adding that the families of the victims had been informed.
DSP said five people died on the spot, while three others succumbed to their injuries during treatment. The deceased have been identified as Kumar (50), Dipika Veena (42), Sunil (40), Yashoda alias Thiyamma (60), Puttama (55), Lakshmi (40), Meenakshi (50) and Billy (5).
The injured were taken to the government hospital in Yumjanur, while six of them were later referred to the Kurnool government general hospital due to the seriousness of their condition, officials said.
Kurnool District Collector Dr Siri, who visited GGH Hospital, said two of the injured sustained head injuries and their condition is critical, while the condition of the remaining four is stable.
Kurnool Superintendent of Police Vikrant Patil said the group left Chikkamagaluru around 4 pm on Wednesday in a Mahindra Bolero SUV. “We are investigating to find out who is at fault, whether it is the SUV driver or the truck driver,” he added, adding that a case has been registered in this regard.
