Nine people were killed in a road accident in Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday, February 6, police said. The deceased were all relatives. They were returning to their native village at Uravakonda from Ballari in neighbouring Karnataka after a wedding when a speeding lorry rammed into their vehicle, police sources said. The SUV was so mangled that it became difficult to remove the bodies, the police said.
The accident happened at Kottalapalli on the Anantapur-Ballari National Highway. A local BJP leader was said to be among the dead. Besides, two other men, six women and a boy were killed, the police said. The bodies were sent to a government hospital for a post-mortem. The Uravakonda police have registered a case and further investigation is ongoing. The deceased are yet to be identified.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has condoled the death of the nine people, and has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to each of the victims' families from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF). "Pained by the loss of lives due to a tragic accident in Ananthapuramu district, AP. Condolences to the bereaved families. An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh each from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of the deceased," a tweet from the Prime Minister's Office read.
Pained by the loss of lives due to a tragic accident in Ananthapuramu district, AP. Condolences to the bereaved families. An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh each from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of the deceased: PM @narendramodi
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) February 7, 2022
Last month, three people were killed after two motorcycles collided head-on in Andhra Pradesh's Chittoor district. The accident took place late near Madanapalle town and the victims were identified as Ismail (21), Siddiq (21), and Srinivasulu (40). Speaking to reporters at the time, the police said that Ismail and his friend Siddiq, hailing from Chintaparti village were on their way from Madanapalle to Chintaparti on their motorcycle, when they collided with Srinivasulu's bike.
Earlier in January, seven people were killed in neighbouring Karnataka after a car they were travelling in rammed into a road divider in Kananakatte village in Jagalur Taluk of Karnataka's Davanagere district. According to Superintendent of Police CB Rishyanth, who reached the accident spot, the driver of the car was inebriated and had dozed off near the Kananakatte Toll Gate on National Highway 13, which might have led to the accident.