Four members of a family were killed and the driver was seriously injured after their car crashed into an under-construction culvert on NH-44 near Palamakula in Shamshabad, on the outskirts of Hyderabad, in the early hours of Saturday.
The accident occurred at about 1.45 am as five people travelled from Mahbubnagar to Shamshabad after attending Ganesh immersion celebrations in their native village of Nawabpet. Police said the driver, identified as Ashok, lost control of the vehicle near Palamakula, veered off the road and hit the culvert.
The four passengers died at the spot due to the severity of the impact. They were identified as Kethavath Limbya, 54, his wife Yamuna, 45, and their relatives Katravath Mansingh, 48, and Ketavath Vasram, 45. Limbya, Mansingh and Vasram were involved in the brick business.
The deceased were from Nawabpet in Mahbubnagar district. Limbya and his family were residing in Madhura Nagar, Shamshabad. According to police, the group had travelled to their native village to participate in the immersion of a Ganesh idol before hiring a car for the return journey.
Y Surendar Reddy, an inspector, said the group had completed the immersion before leaving Nawabpet. “Since Ganesh idols were being immersed at their native place, Limbya and others went to Nawabpet. It was after the completion of immersion of their idol, Limbya and others hired a car to reach Shamshabad. After reaching Palamakula, the driver hit the culvert,” he said.
The front portion of the car was completely mangled in the crash. Police said the deployment of both front airbags was believed to have helped the driver survive. Ashok suffered grievous injuries and was shifted to a hospital for treatment.
Police have collected the driver’s blood samples to determine whether alcohol consumption was involved. The inspector said the investigation would establish the circumstances leading to the crash, including the driver’s condition and the road environment around the under-construction culvert.
A case has been registered under Section 106 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, relating to causing death by negligence. The crash has also renewed attention on safety during the festival travel period, coming days after six students from the Shirisha Charitable Trust orphanage school-cum-college drowned while immersing a Ganesh idol in a pond at Peddakanjerla village in Telangana’s Sangareddy district on September 16.
Police are continuing their investigation into the collision, while the injured driver remains under medical care.
