Six people, five of them medical students, died in a deadly car crash at Pothireddipalem in the Sri Potti Sriramulu Nellore district's Kovur constituency late on Wednesday evening. Five medical students and a local resident were among the dead. They were traveling back from a family event when the car went out of control and crashed into a residential complex. The police are investigating the reason for the accident.
Accident Information
The accident which killed individuals occurred when a team of medical students from Narayana Medical College in Nellore was on their way back from an engagement ceremony that had taken place in Buchireddypalem. Approximately 25 students had attended the event, traveling in a mix of private vehicles and public transportation. One of the vehicles, carrying six students, is said to have lost control near a petrol pump at Pothireddipalem. The vehicle overturned and crashed into a neighboring house.
The crash's effect had instant fatalities. Two of the students perished instantly, and the house was totally destroyed. Its owner, 56-year-old N. Venkataramanaiah, was killed instantly. Emergency responders arrived quickly, and the other four students were rushed to a hospital in Nellore. Three other students died from their injuries despite medical treatment.
Victims Identified
The dead student victims included K. Abhishekraj (22) of Anantapur, Gundla Jeevanchandra Reddy (22) of Siddhipuram, Gurram Yagnesh (21) of Ongole, L. Naresh Nayak (22) of Dharmavaram, and Gonu Abhisai Purushottam (21) of Prashanthinagar, Tirupati. The sixth victim, Venkataramanaiah, was not a student but died from the impact of the house.
One of the survivors, Navaneeth Shankar, remains hospitalized for observation by medical authorities. His condition is reported to be critical. Police have also registered a case and initiated an investigation into the reasons for the accident, whether due to speeding or otherwise.
Emotional Response From Peers
The news of the tragedy elicited an avalanche of condolences from students and employees at Narayana Medical College. Upon hearing that some of their colleagues were taken in injured to Narayana Hospital, many of them hurried to the hospital. Two of the victims, however, had already died before they arrived at the hospital, with their bodies being taken to Sarvajana Hospital.
Large groups of students made their way in huge numbers to the Government General Hospital morgue to bid the victims their final goodbyes. Friends took their last farewell with tears as they mainly waited until bodies of the victims were legally turned over to the families after postmortem.
Leaders Express Condolences
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Governor Abdul Nazeer mourned the tragic loss with great sorrow. Both of them in separate releases sent condolences to the victim families and promised government help. Former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy also condoled, referring to the loss as highly tragic.
They have promised to research road safety in the region and implement probable measures in order to avoid future similar incidents. The state government has not announced compensation, but they were prepared to offer relief to victims.
