A devastating road accident occurred in the early hours of Thursday near Chilakaladona village in the Kurnool district, claiming the lives of eight pilgrims. The victims, hailing from Chikmagalur, Karnataka, were traveling to the Mantralayam Sri Raghavendra Swamy Temple for a darshan when their Bolero vehicle was violently struck by a high-speed ready-mix concrete lorry. The impact was so severe that the Bolero was completely crushed and overturned, leading to immediate chaos at the scene.
According to preliminary reports, there were a total of 16 passengers in the vehicle at the time of the collision. Five individuals died instantly at the spot, while three others succumbed to their injuries while undergoing treatment at the hospital. The deceased include five women, a young child, and the driver of the vehicle. Local residents were the first to respond, launching immediate rescue efforts before the police arrived to extricate those trapped within the wreckage.
The police have attributed the cause of the accident to the excessive speed of the lorry, which hit the devotees’ vehicle head-on. Twelve survivors, who sustained various injuries, were initially rushed to a hospital in Yemmiganur and later shifted to the Kurnool Government Hospital for advanced care. While the bodies have been moved for post-mortem examinations, the police have registered a case and launched a manhunt to apprehend the lorry driver, who fled the scene following the crash.
