3 killed as mini truck falls into canal

Guntur: Three persons were killed and another three sustained injuries when a coconut-laden mini truck carrying transporters fell into roadside Panta Kalva between Donepudi and Kotipalli on Friday.

According to police, several people belonging to Chintamolu village of Bhattiprolu mandal were transporting coconuts stock from island villages of Kolluru mandal to Cherakupalli mandal. When the vehicle reached between Donepudi and Kotipalli, the driver lost control over the vehicle, which overturned and fell into roadside Panta Kalva. Chatragadda Kantarao (50) of Chintamotu village, Pesarlanka Srinivasarao (55), and Sk Ismail (60) of Vellaturu village lost their lives. Another three persons, who were injured, have been shifted to the local government hospital for treatment.

Bapatla district SP B Umamaheshwar visited the accident spot under Kolluru police station limits in Bapatla district. He enquired with local police officials about the cause of the accident and issued several instructions regarding further investigation and measures to prevent such accidents in future. He explained that nine special teams have already been deployed across national highways in the district to monitor road safety, and these teams are working in coordination with other concerned departments.

The SP was accompanied by SB Inspector G Narayana, Vemuru Circle Inspector PV Anjaneyulu, and Bhattiprolu Sub-Inspector M Shivaiah.