7 killed as truck rams into SUV in YSR district

TIRUPATI: Seven persons were killed and five others seriously injured in a road mishap near Eturu village in Kondapuram mandal of YSR district in the early hours of Monday. The deceased were identified as K Sudhakar Reddy, Katasani Sudha (39), K Likith Reddy (11), N Lakshmi Devi (38), K Sunil Kumar Reddy (39), Bujji Reddy (40) and K Subhadra (30).Local circle inspector Sudarshan Prasad said 12 persons from Tadipatri in Anantapur district and Bellary in Karnataka, who were also relatives, were returning from Tirumala to their native place in an SUV on Monday morning. As the vehicle reached Etruru village along the Kadapa-Tadipatri highway, a speeding truck heading from the opposite direction rammed into it. The head-on collision completely smashed the SUV, leaving seven dead on the spot. The bodies were strewn all over the road. The other pilgrims who survived sustained severe injuries and were inconsolable after witnessing the deadly accident.Kondapuram police rushed to the spot and shifted the injured persons to the government hospital at Tadipatri. Kadapa SP K K N Anburajan also went to the accident spot later in the day and directed to expedite the postmortem formalities and hand over the victims' bodies to their family members without delay.