The death toll in the road accident that had taken place at Nandivalasa village of Araku Valley mandal in Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) district on March 8 (Friday) increased to five with another person succumbing to the injuries while being shifted to the King George Hospital (KGH) in Visakhapatnam in the early hours of March 9 (Saturday).
Four more inured persons are undergoing treatment, one in KGH and three others at the Government Hospital in Araku.
The deceased were identified as G. Trinadh (33), G. Bhargav (6), and G. Simhadri (30) from Chinalabudu, B. Hari (19) and G. Amalantha (18) from Lotheru of Araku Valley.
The accident took place at around 10 p.m. when three motorcycles collided. As many as nine persons riding these vehicles were seriously injured. While Bhargav, Simhadri, Hari and Amalantha died on the spot, Trinadh died while being shifted to KGH.
“It seems like a case of over-speeding or rash driving. The cause of the accident cannot be confirmed as all those involved are undergoing treatment,” said Circle Inspector of Araku Valley police station G. Rudrasekhar.
As per reports from the Agency, this is one of the ghastly accidents in the region in the recent times. Most of the accidents take place on the ghat roads, but very few are reported from the plain areas, say police. Meanwhile, locals demand that the police initiate steps to control over-speeding in the tourist hotspot.