Nine killed in two accidents in AP

Vijayawada/Anantapur: Nine persons were killed and nine others were injured in two separate road accidents in Krishna and Anantapur districts on Saturday.

Near Hanuman Junction in Krishna district, five persons died of asphyxiation after inhaling poisonous smoke when the chemical-laden van they were travelling in hit a lorry, the police said.

The accident took place in the early hours when the van, which was delivering tins of chemical phenyl flouro-chloride from Hyderabad to a factory in West Godavari district, on board with 13 people, hit a stationary lorry on the highway at Veeravalli village, Inspector Y V Raman of Hanuman junction circle police station said. Lids of the chemical tins broke when the van rammed the lorry, causing emanation of poisonous smoke. Four persons died on the spot, while a boy succumbed at the Eluru government hospital. Condition of three others injured is stated to be critical. They have been shifted to a government hospital in Vijayawada, he said. All the dead and injured belonged to Peddipalem and Vemulapalem towns in East Godavari district.

Four dead as Volvo bus hit truck
Meanwhile, four passengers of a private luxury bus, coming from Hyderabad, were killed when it hit a truck near Anantapur. The accident took place on the national highway between Kodikonda check-post and Koduru around 6.30 am, the police said. A Volvo bus, belonging to Omer Travels, was going to Bengaluru. It hit the lorry while overtaking it. Six other bus passengers were injured, the police said. The bus driver fled the spot.