Eight persons were killed and another eight persons sustained injuries when the van in which they were travelling was hit by a speeding tipper coming in the opposite direction at Kotalanka Cheruvu near Chebrolu village of Gollaprolu mandal on the National Highway No. 216 on Monday.
All the victims were relatives and the accident took place when they were returning to their native village Gadicherla Venkatapuram in Makavanipalem mandal of Visakhapatnam district after attending a family function in Kakinada.
According to Gollaprolu Sub-Inspector B. Sivakrishna, the accident took place around 3 p.m. The vehicle driver and five female commuters died on the spot, while two other women succumbed to injuries on their way to hospital.
The police, with the help of the local people, rushed the injured to the area hospital in Pithapuram, from where they were being shifted to the Government General Hospital in Kakinada for better treatment. Their condition is said to be stable.
Superintendent of Police Vishal Gunni, along with the officials of the Police and the Transport Departments, visited the spot. He found fault with the tipper driver and said that cases were registered against the driver and the owner. The deceased were identified as Alla Santosh, 30, (vehicle driver and a resident of G. Konduru village) and seven women of a family Sabbavarapu Varahalu, 41, Sabbavarapu Papa, 35, Sabbavarapu Mahalakshmi, 60, Sabbavarapu Pyditalli, 45, Sabbavarapu Achiyyamma, 45, Gowddi Ramu, 45, and Pyla Lakshmi, 45. The bodies were sent to the GGH for a post-mortem. The Gollaprolu police are on the look out for the tipper driver.
