Five killed in road accident in Andhra's Tirupati

Tirupati, April 28 (IANS) Five persons were killed in a road accident in Andhra Pradesh’s Tirupati district on Monday.

The accident occurred when a car crashed into a container truck near Thotapalli in Pakala.

Five persons died on the spot while two others were critically injured. The police shifted the injured to Tirupati Ruia Hospital.

The accident victims hailed from Tamil Nadu's Hosur. They were returning home after darshan at Sri Venkateswara temple atop Tirumala.

The deceased include two women, two men, and a nine-year-old child.

According to police, the car rammed into the container truck from behind on the Putalapattu-Naidupeta National Highway.

Such was the impact of the collision that the car was badly mangled and got stuck under the container. The body parts of the deceased were found strewn around the spot. Police had a tough time pulling out bodies from the wreckage.

The victims are believed to be from the same family. Pakala police registered a case and took up an investigation.

A police official said they were trying to identify the deceased. The bodies were shifted to a hospital for autopsy. The car had a Tamil Nadu registration number while the container truck was from Karnataka.

According to police, the car was being driven at a high speed. They suspect that the car driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the heavy vehicle.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has expressed shock over the road accident in Tirupati district.

He directed the district officials to ensure the best possible treatment for the injured. The officials informed him that the injured were undergoing treatment at Ruia Hospital.

Naidu also directed officials to provide assistance from the government for the affected families.

--IANS

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