Daijiworld Media Network - Amaravati

Amaravati, Jul 14: A tragic road accident in Andhra Pradesh’s Annamayya district claimed the lives of nine labourers and left ten others injured after a truck loaded with mangoes overturned late Sunday night.

The mishap occurred near Reddy Cheruvu Katta in Pullampeta mandal, roughly 60 km from Kadapa. According to police reports, the truck was carrying a group of 21 daily-wage labourers who were seated atop a large mango consignment. The vehicle reportedly lost control and overturned while negotiating a lake bund, crushing the labourers beneath 30 to 40 tonnes of mangoes.

Initial investigations revealed that the driver swerved abruptly to avoid an oncoming car, which led to the vehicle tipping over. The driver survived and is assisting police with further inquiries.

The victims—mostly from Railay Koduru in Annamayya district and Venkatagiri in Tirupati district—had been hired to harvest mangoes from farms around Esukapalli village in Rajampet mandal. After completing their work, they were returning to Railway Koduru market with the harvested mangoes stacked in the truck.

Eight of the labourers died 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)
• Subba Ratnamma (45)

A ninth victim, Munichandra (38), succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at Rajampet government hospital.

Rescue operations were carried out with assistance from local police and a JCB machine. The ten injured labourers were first taken to Rajampet hospital, with several later transferred to RIMS in Kadapa for advanced care.

State Transport Minister Mandipalli Ramprasad Reddy expressed deep sorrow over the incident and assured that the government would provide the best medical treatment to the injured. He also instructed officials to review road safety protocols to prevent such incidents in the future.

District in-charge Minister B.C. Janardhan Reddy and former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy also extended their condolences to the bereaved families. Jagan Mohan Reddy urged the administration to support the victims' families and ensure proper medical care for the injured.

This incident once again underscores the urgent need for improved transport safety standards, especially for vehicles ferrying agricultural workers across rural Andhra Pradesh.