Eighteen persons belonging to a marriage party, including the groom, were killed and 19 others injured in a road accident in the early hours of Tuesday near Beerisettigudem village in Narasimhulupet mandal here.
The residents of Pantulu thanda in Narasimhulupet had just returned home after the marriage at Abbayipalem in Mahabubabad mandal. The two tractors carrying the marriage party — 49 persons in all — just returned to Beerisettigudem and stopped on the main road, a furlong away from Pantulu thanda. Even before the tractor drivers switched off the engines, a heavily log-laden lorry coming from Khammam and proceeding to Mangapet hit them killing 16 persons on the spot.
As the lorry rammed the stationary tractors, those on the tractors were thrown out due to the impact, while some were crushed between the vehicles. The scene at the site presented a gory picture.
The groom, Bukhya Nagesh, who suffered critical injuries also died. Those killed on the spot included J Venkanna (18), J Mahesh (25), Ch Yakub (18), J Laxman (20), J Uppalaiah (30), J Parasuramulu (20), K Dasma (60), Bukhya Ramesh (50), D Rajoli (50), D Kalyan (10).
