Five persons were killed and nine others received grievous injuries when an overloaded Mahindra Bolero overturned in the early hours of Monday in Jogulamba Gadwal district, police said.
The accident took place near the Parcharla gate in Dharur mandal. The victims, workers employed in a cotton ginning factory in Gadwal town, were returning to their village after a night shift when they met with the accident. While five persons died on the spot, nine others were injured badly and were admitted to a hospital in Gadwal. Reports stated that the condition of three of the nine was critical.
The dead were identified as Kotha Venkatanna, Kotla Venkatanna, Kammari Lohith and Kammari Geethamma of Chinnapadu village, and Arunamma of Emunampalli village.
Police officials said that the vehicle was overloaded at the time of the accident, and speculated that the driver must have been sleepy and yet driving the vehicle at a high speed.
Family members of the victims however alleged that the management of the ginning mill had arranged for just one vehicle for 20 workers, and that that was what had caused the tragedy.