Five people were killed and 10 others were seriously injured in a fatal road accident that occurred on the Vijayawada-Hyderabad national highway. The accident occurred late on Saturday, November 12, while the group was on their way home in a tractor after attending the Ayyappa Padi Pooja in Suryapet town. The injured have been shifted to Suryapet, Khammam, and Kodad government hospitals.

According to reports, some people from the Munagala mandal attended the Ayyappa Swamy Padi Pooja held on Saturday night at the Ayyappa Swamy temple, which is situated on the banks of the nearby Sagar canal. After the pooja, about 30 people were returning home in a tractor when the accident took place on the Vijayawada-Hyderabad national highway. The tractor they were travelling in took the wrong route and was hit by a lorry headed towards Vijayawada from Hyderabad. The driver allegedly took the incorrect route to avoid a u-turn which was about a kilometre away.

The police reached the spot and started rescue operations immediately after receiving information about the accident. The local residents reportedly rushed the injured to the hospital on their vehicles as there was a shortage of ambulances.

Speaking to Media Mungala, Circle Inspector Anjeneyulu said, “A tractor with about 30 people hit a lorry on Vijayawada- Hyderabad highway. Five, including a man, three women, and a child lost their lives on the spot. Twenty-five others were injured. We are investigating the cause of the accident.”

Among the passengers who died on the spot were Tanniru Pramila (35), Chintakayala Pramila (33), Uday Lokesh (11),  Naragani Kotaiah (55), and Gandu Jyoti (38). Those in critical condition were shifted to Khammam and Suryapet hospitals for better treatment, while those with minor injuries are receiving treatment in the Kodad hospital.