Four members of a wedding procession, including an 18-month-old girl, were killed and eight others injured after an allegedly speeding lorry rammed into their auto-rickshaw in Andhra Pradesh’s Markapuram district on Friday, police said.
The accident took place at around 1.30am on the Amaravati-Anantpur highway when the procession stopped at a Lord Vinayaka temple for pre-wedding rituals before proceeding to Kambham town, where the venue was located.
The deceased were identified as the bride’s sister-in-law Avula Alakananda (19),her brothers Avula Ankalu (20) and Avula Nagesh (17), and Avula Ankalu’s daughter Nagalakshmi (18 months).
“The wedding procession from Nallabanda Bazaar in Giddalur had stopped for a brief visit to a Lord Vinayaka temple as part of traditional pre-wedding rituals before proceeding to the wedding venue,” said Markapuram sub-divisional police officer U Naga Raju, adding that the bride Avula Veerakka had entered the temple to offer prayers and break a coconut ahead of her wedding, scheduled at 9.30am on Friday.
“While she was inside the temple, other family members either sat in the autorickshaw or stood around waiting outside. A speeding lorry, reportedly carrying a load of coir from Madanapalle to Wyra, allegedly lost control and crashed into the autorickshaw before ploughing into the people gathered near the temple,” the officer added.
{{/usCountry}}“While she was inside the temple, other family members either sat in the autorickshaw or stood around waiting outside. A speeding lorry, reportedly carrying a load of coir from Madanapalle to Wyra, allegedly lost control and crashed into the autorickshaw before ploughing into the people gathered near the temple,” the officer added.
{{/usCountry}}The impact of the crash killed all four on the spot, said police. Those injured were rushed to a government hospital in Markapuram.
Police have registered a case and launched an investigation into the accident. They said the lorry driver has been detained for questioning.
State transport minister Mandipalli Ramprasad Reddy conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families and ordered health department officials to provide the best possible treatment to the injured.
He assured that the state government would extend all necessary assistance to the affected families, and appealed to motorists to exercise greater caution on roads.