Suryapet: Five people were killed and several others were injured in the Munagala suburb here on Saturday night after a fatal collision took place between a lorry and a tractor. The tractor was laden with around 38 people at the time of the accident. The injured were rushed to Kodada hospital.
The tractor was loaded with people from Munagala Mandal who were returning after attending the Mahapadi Puja at the Ayyappaswamy temple on the left bank of the nearby Sagar canal. The tractor was on the wrong side of the Vijaywada-Hyderabad national highway when it was hit by the lorry going toward Vijaywada.
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The deceased have been identified as Uday Lokesh, Tanniru Pramila, Gandu Jyoti, Chintakayala Pramila, and Kotayya. Those in critical condition were shifted to Khammam and Suryapet hospitals. Villagers alleged that the tractor driver in order to save time and cut the distance was driving on the wrong side of the road.
The accident was so severe that the five died on spot. The death toll is likely to go up. The lorry driver has been taken into police custody and further investigation is underway, said a police official.
