Eight persons were injured, three of them critically, in a car-mini-lorry collision at Vennigampalle village of Kuppam mandal on the Krishnagiri-Palamaner NH, 170 km from here, on Thursday morning.
According to the Kuppam police, ten devotees from V. Kota in Chittoor district left for Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday. After visiting the Siva Temple there and participating in the circumambulation of the Arunachala hillock, they were on their way back when the mishap occurred.
After passing Kuppam, one of the passengers reportedly agreed to drive the vehicle when driver wanted to take a nap. The new driver is said to have dozed off behind the wheel, leading to the mishap. The impact of the accident was such that the mini-lorry was flung to a distance whereas the car was badly damaged.
Of the eight injured, three women were critical and rushed to a super-speciality hospital in Bengaluru. The others were admitted to the PES Medical College at Kuppam. The police have registered a case.
