5 burn to death as autorickshaw rams into electric pole in Visakhapatnam

An autorickshaw ride turned lethal for five passengers near Cheruvuru in Visakhapatnam on Sunday. In an ugly turn of events, the autorickshaw rammed into an electric pole after the driver lost control of the vehicle, causing the overhead electric wires to be snapped and fall on the rickshaw, electrocuting five of its passengers and injuring six others, including four children. The incident occurred when a group of tribals was returning to their hometown near Chintapalle after visiting the weekly market at Korukonda.

While five passengers were charred to death on the spot, the injured, who were thrown out of the rickshaw, were rushed to a nearby Primary Health Care (PHC) clinic. They were then referred to the Government hospital in Narsipatnam.

The police suspect that overcrowding the rickshaw that might have led to the driver to lose control of the vehicle on the rain-fed slippery roads. “It was raining and the driver lost control of the overloaded vehicle. Subsequently, the vehicle hit the electric pole,” Chintapalle inspector K. Sridhar was quoted

as saying. As the victims were all from tribal areas, the police have yet to determine the identity of the deceased.

Responding to the freak accident in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy

, in a statement, expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased. He has assured them of full support from the state government.