At least six people, including the driver of an autorickshaw, were killed while six others sustained serious injuries, when a speeding tanker rammed into their vehicle in Telangana’s Sangareddy district on Tuesday night, police said on Wednesday.
The incident happened near Satwar village in Zaheerabad mandal when the autorickshaw carrying 11 women agriculture labourers, was taking a U-turn on the Hyderabad-Mumbai national highway (NH-65) at around 8:30pm.
An official from Zaheerabad police station said the agricultural labourers from Rajagiri in Bidar district of Karnataka had come to the Budhera area of Munipally mandal in Sangareddy district to work in agricultural fields.
“After completing their work, they were returning in an autorickshaw. When the autorickshaw was taking a U-turn on the highway near Satwar, a heavy tanker travelling at high speed from Mumbai towards Hyderabad crashed into it,” the police official told local reporters.
The impact of the collision was so severe that the autorickshaw was badly mangled.
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{{/usCountry}}“Four persons died on the spot, while two others succumbed to their injuries while undergoing treatment,” the police said.
The deceased were identified as Rekhamma (36), Kavitha (40), Sridevi (45), Reshma (28), Nikhita (30) and autorickshaw driver Devadas (35).
Six other persons travelling in the autorickshaw suffered serious injuries and were shifted to the government hospital at Zaheerabad for treatment. The condition of two of them is said to be critical, police said.
“We have registered a case of accident and taken up an investigation into the accident,” the official said.
Similar accident on same highway
Two persons were killed when a car crashed into a divider near Venkatapur junction in Kohir mandal.
According to the police, the car was travelling from Zaheerabad towards Sadashivpet when it hit the road divider. Following the impact, the vehicle went out of control, crossed into the opposite lane and collided with vehicles coming from the other direction.
The two occupants of the car, Shankar (52) and Mallikarjun (50), both from Sadashivpet mandal, died on the spot.
“This case, registered for negligent driving, is also under investigation,” the police added.
Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy expressed his condolences over the death of agriculture labourers in the Zaheerabad road accident.
A statement from the CMO said the chief minister instructed the district authorities to extend all possible help to the families of the deceased and ensure that the injured get the best possible treatment.