7 Karnataka pilgrims die as van falls into valley

Kakinada: Seven pilgrims died and five sustained serious injuries as the mini-bus they were travelling fell 20-feet down into a valley at Pamuleru village between Chinturu and Maredumilli ghat road on Monday. The pilgrims belonged to Chilkeri village of Chitrakut district of Karnataka.

According to Maredumilli circle inspector A L S Ravi Kumar, the group of pilgrims on a visit to various religious places, visited Bhadrachalam and started their journey towards Satyanarayana Swamy temple at Annavaram after having a darshan of Lord Rama. The mini bus they were travelling in fell into the valley near Valmiki Konda on the Chintoor ghat road in the Agency area, he said.

While six of the pilgrims died on the spot, another succumbed on the way to hospital. The five injured persons had been rushed to a hospital in nearby Ramapachodavaram. The officials identified the deceased as K Ramesh, 56, Srinivas, M Gayatramma, 52, Shweta, 24, Ramalakshmi, K Amrithavani, 53, and M Madhurakshamma, 55.

Bodies of the victims had been removed and sent to the hospital for post-mortem. Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy spoke to the East Godavari district officials over phone and enquired about the accident. He directed the district authorities to ensure proper treatment to the injured.

TDP president and Leader of the Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu expressed grief over the accident and conveyed his condolences to the families of the victims.