Eight devotees’ lives in the fatal road accident in Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh Indian state eight from Karnataka, have been cut off on the roads and it is leaving a long shadow of grief over various families over the lives of family members in the region.
The tragedy took place Thursday morning near Kalludevakunta village in Mantralayam mandal, in a district which is frequented by pilgrims. The reported victims were just some 21 devoted people who were reportedly coming from Chikkamagaluru district in Karnataka state.
They headed to Mantralayam, which is a famous pilgrimage site, to pray for blessings from God, when their Bolero vehicle became seriously collided with a tanker and overturned. The accident was caused by a tanker loaded with cement and gravel crashing into the Bolero.
The collision had a powerful force, six devotees were killed on location. Two others, who were critically injured, later died from their injuries despite medical interventions. Local Mantralayam station police immediately reached the scene at the outset of rescue. The 13 wounded passengers were rushed to government hospitals in Emmiganur and Kurnool for urgent medical care, government officials said.
Several of the injured are now in critical condition, authorities have confirmed. As emergency services worked to clear the impact and assist the victims, the accident temporarily caused disruption to the traffic moving on the road until Mantralayam. Image from the scene showed there was extensive damage to the Bolero vehicle suggesting the crash had been severe.
The deceased are named as Kumar (50), Deepika, Veena (42), Sunil (40), Puttamma (55), Lolakshi, Yashoda (60), and 5-year-old Belli. Their sudden death has left their families and communities as wide-ranging as the tragedy. The death of a small child among its victims has only increased the emotional toll of this loss.
The tanker driver has since been taken into custody and police will continue their searches to determine that a cause of the accident. Preliminary suspicion suggests the driver might have done something negligently or drive extremely fast but authorities said a detailed investigation is in progress.
Once again, this is another painful reminder of how urgently the road safety policies need to be adjusted, particularly in all highways frequented by long distance and pilgrims. Overloading, reckless driving and rough roads remain hazards, and have contributed to such deadly accidents.
“The injured can not go on and the bereaved and relatives can’t move on; it’s a poignant reminder of how easily lives are turned upside down on the roads,” the men said. The report also implies that authorities owe it to our fellow countryman to do what needs doing so as to prevent the similar tragedy happening now.
