Couple crushed to death

Visakhapatnam: In a freak mishap, a couple was crushed to death by iron bars in a lorry, in which they were travelling near Vempadu under Nakkapalle police station limits in Visakhapatnam district on Saturday night.

The couple, who were fast asleep in the lorry loaded with iron bars, were crushed when the driver applied sudden brakes to control the vehicle near the toll plaza resulting in the iron roads falling over them.

However, five children, including four of the couple, who were sleeping on the iron bars in the same lorry, escaped with minor injuries.

The deceased were identified as Tirumala Venkatesh (45) and his wife Tirumala Polamma (40), residents of Gajuwaka area in the city, and were going to their hometown Upparapalem under Vinukonda mandal in Guntur district.

Nakkapalle SI L Ramakrishna said that the couple belonging to Gangireddu community and the couple, along with their four children and one more boy (their relative), have decided to go to their native town to perform Gangireddu during the Sankranti festival to earn money.

The couple along with the five children boarded into an iron bars laden lorry at Gajauwaka area on Saturday night around 9 pm and the lorry was heading towards Chittoor.

While the vehicle was nearing close to toll plaza, the driver have applied sudden brakes to control over the vehicle, resulting the iron bars moved towards engine cabin and the couple were crushed to death and the children were escaped with minor injuries. The police have registered a case and investigation is on.