Six people, including five women, were killed near Gummayyagaripalli outside the Gorantla mandal headquarters when the autorickshaw in which they were travelling was hit head on by a speeding truck on Wednesday.
The deceased were identified as Guluru Nagamma (58), Akula Sugunamma (32), Akula Naga Manemma (56), Batla Venkatamma (40), Sheik Sharifa (60) and auto driver Akula Vijaykumar (24), all belonging to Pedaballi village in Puttaparthy mandal of the district . Another woman passenger who suffered minor injuries was taken to Anantapur Government General Hospital and was discharged on Thursday.
The women were proceeding to Bagepalli to buy vegetables for resale in their village, when a speeding truck hit the autorickshaw near Gummayyagaripalli bus stop, two km from the Andhra Pradesh – Karnataka border, killing all the six on the spot.
The truck driver is absconding.
Hindupur TDP MP Nimmala Kistappa, who arrived at the spot, oversaw the relief efforts along with the police and consoled the kin of the deceased.