In a ghastly accident, a pilgrimage turned fatal for six people, including an infant, as their speeding car caught fire after it crashed into a road divider at Ithepalli near Tirupati on Sunday. Five adults and an infant in the car died in the accident.
The accident occurred at Agarala village on the Puthalapattu-Naidupeta highway. As per reports, the speed at which the car was travelling was the reason for the accident.
According to the reports, at the time of the accident, the vehicle was ferrying around eight people from Vizianagaram district. The vehicle was said to have flipped onto the other side of the road when it hit the divided, and then caught fire. Five of the pilgrims died on the spot and passers-by tried to douse out the flames and pulled the victims out of the car.
The car was completely burnt in the accident. The local police and district authorities reached the accident spot and with the help of locals rushed the injured to the RUIA Hospital in Tirupati and shifted the bodies to the mortuary there.
They were said to be returning after completing darshan at Kanipakam temple near Chittoor when the accident occured. It appears that the driver who was overspeeding might have fallen asleep at the wheel.
Speaking to TNM, Chandragiri Sub Inspector (SI) Vijay Kumar said that all the pilgrims are relatives from Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts and were on their way to Tirumala for the darshan of god Venkateshwara.
SI Vijay Kumar said, "The vehicle seems have been going very fast, it lost control before hitting a divider between the main road and the service road. It turned upside down, later petrol started spilling out and soon it caught on fire.
Vijay added, "Of the eight people, six have died including 2 women and a baby; two survivors including a toddler are being treated at the RUIA hospital Tirupati. The bodies of the deceased were also shifted to the RUIA hospital."