Five members of a family tragically lost their lives in Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor district when the car they were traveling in collided with a truck on the Bengaluru-Chennai national highway near Dundapalli cross in Gangavaram mandal. The fatal accident occurred when their car struck a moving truck from behind, resulting in the immediate death of all occupants. The deceased, hailing from the Rajaji Nagar area in Bengaluru, were en route to Tirumala for darshan.
The victims have been identified as Mohan Das (71), Nagaraja Rao (61), Kusuma (61), Jayanti (59), and Puja (33). The truck, having unloaded cement at Palamaneru, was on its way to Kurnool. Authorities have initiated a post-mortem examination after shifting the bodies, with Gangavaram Circle Inspector Rambhupal confirming the registration of a case and commencement of investigations.
In a separate incident in Telangana’s Sangareddy district, a car caught fire on the National Highway near Nandikandi in Sadashivpet mandal. The driver promptly stopped the vehicle upon noticing smoke and safely exited, but the car was ultimately engulfed in flames. Firefighters swiftly responded to the scene and successfully extinguished the fire. Additionally, ten devotees sustained injuries from falling into a coal fire during a temple fair in Telangana’s Nalgonda district.
The devotees suffered burn injuries while participating in Aggigundalu (firewalking) as part of Sri Parvathi Jadala Ramalingeshwara Swamy Kalayanotsavam at Amangal in Vemulapalle. This ritual, a significant aspect of the annual fair, led to the unfortunate incident as devotees inadvertently fell into the coal fire during the procession. At least 10 injured devotees were promptly taken to the government hospital for medical attention.
