Five Tirumala-bound pilgrims from Mahabubnagar district of Telangana State were killed on the spot in a road accident near Mamaundur of Renigunta mandal in Chittoor district, 20 km from Tirupati, on Friday evening.
The Renigunta police said five members of a family from Mahabubnagar were on their way to Tirumala for darshan of Lord Venkateswara, when a truck on its way to Kadapa collided with their SUV on the Chennai-Hyderabad highway, killing them on the spot. The victims were identified as Dayanand Reddy (60), his wife Pramila Reddy (54), son Vishnuvardhan Reddy (32), daughter-in-law Kavitha Reddy (27) and granddaughter Dhanyasri Reddy (6 months).
According to eye-witnesses, soon after the accident, information was flashed to the 108 ambulance and the police, while the ambulance arrived after half an hour. Vishnuvardhan Reddy was said to have battled for life and died a couple of minutes before the ambulance arrived. The bodies were later shifted to SVRR Hospital at Tirupati for autopsy.
A case was registered and a hunt was launched to nab the truck driver, who fled the spot.
