4 killed on Hyderabad's ORR as SUV hits median and collides with ambulance

In a tragic incident, four people travelling in an ambulance were killed on Hyderabad's Outer Ring Road (ORR) when a speeding SUV hit the median and overturned on to the other side of the road, colliding with the emergency vehicle. The incident took place near Adibatla, with police suspecting that the SUV driver dozed off at the wheel, which led to the accident. 

According to media reports, a cancer patient was being carried by the ambulance, which was heading to Ballari in Karnataka from Eluru in Andhra Pradesh. The deceased were identified as 60-year-old B Venkateshwara Rao, the patient, his wife, 55-year-old Subba Lakshmi, his brother Rama Rao and the ambulance driver, 24-year-old Shiva. Venkateshwar's son, Hemchander Rao and his son-in-law, Srinivas Rao, were also in the ambulance and suffered injuries. They were rushed to a hospital, where they are undergoing treatment. 

"It was a ghastly sight when we reached the place. It seems the entire accident happened within seconds and the ambulance driver did not get any chance to react. We reached the location in 10 minutes and found Shiva still alive and pleading for help as he was struck inside the car. While he was being shifted to the hospital, he and Rama Rao died," Adibatla inspector P Narender was quoted as saying.

"Prima facie, it is understood that Manoj, who was driving the SUV for a long time, was sleep-deprived. When he dozed off, the vehicle headed towards the right side. It crossed the median and jumped onto the other side of the ORR and came to a halt only after hitting the ambulance," the police officer told another media outlet.

A case has been registered under section 304 A (rash and negligent driving causing death) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the police said that further investigation is underway.