12 killed in Chittoor road crash

Chittoor: In a ghastly road accident at Mogali ghat road near Palamaner on Friday, a container carrying Kinley water bottles going towards Chittoor from Bengaluru lost control, hit the divider and crashed on to the other side of the road ramming into an Omni van, an auto and a bike killing 12 people on the spot.

All the three vehicles were crushed under the container beyond recognition. Besides the death of 12 people, 10 others suffered serious injuries in the incident, the police said. Of the dead, four are women, while eight are men.

The accident took place around 7pm. Three of the injured were said to be in serious condition and have been admitted to the Palamaner Government Hospital. The dead belong to one family and were returning after attending a funeral of their relatives. Of the two riding a bike, one died. It is believed that some more vehicles might be under the container.

The place of accident presented a gory sight with body parts strewn all around as the vehicles involved in the accident were crushed beyond recognition. As there was no light, the police had to struggle a lot to identify the vehicles that got crushed and the people who died in the incident.

Palamaner DSP Arifullah rushed to the spot and took up rescue operations. Meanwhile, District Collector N B Gupta and Puthalapattu MLA M S Babu reached the spot and were coordinating with the authorities to clear the road and restore traffic on the highway.