Amaravati: A tragic accident in Andhra Pradesh’s Annamayya district on Sunday night claimed the lives of nine labourers and left 10 others injured when a truck carrying a large load of mangoes overturned. The incident occurred at Reddy Cheruvu Katta in Pullampeta mandal, approximately 60 km from Kadapa town.

According to police, the labourers, who were sitting on top of the mango load, were crushed underneath the fruit when the truck lost control and overturned on a lake bund. Five of the deceased were women. The truck driver, who survived the mishap, informed police that he swerved to avoid hitting an oncoming car, leading to the loss of control.

The group consisted of 21 daily-wage labourers from Railay Koduru mandal in Annamayya district and Venkatagiri mandal in Tirupati district. They had been to farms in Esukapalli and nearby villages in Rajampeta mandal to pluck mangoes and were en route to the Railway Koduru market with a heavy load estimated at 30-40 tonnes. Eight labourers died instantly at the scene. They were identified as Gajjala Durgaiah (32), Gajjala Lakshmi Devi (36), Gajjala Ramana (42), Gajjala Srinu (32), Radha (39), Venkata Subbamma (37), Chittemma (25), and Subba Ratnamma (45). Another labourer, Munichandra (38), succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Rajampet.

The ten injured individuals were initially admitted to a government hospital in Rajampet, with some later transferred to RIMS in Kadapa for advanced medical care.

Andhra Pradesh Transport Minister Mandipalli Ramprasad Reddy expressed deep sorrow over the accident and extended his condolences to the bereaved families. He has directed officials to ensure the best possible treatment for the injured and to investigate the cause of the accident thoroughly to prevent future recurrences. District in-charge Minister B.C. Janardhan Reddy also conveyed his shock and assured government assistance to the victims' families. Former Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy also voiced his grief, urging the government to provide comprehensive support to those affected.

With inputs from IANS