Date:19/08/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/08/19/stories/2007081959670600.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Three charred to death in accident

Staff Reporter

Drivers of lorry, tanker and cleaner killed near Kadapa

Fire proves fatal: The oil tanker and lorry that were gutted after a collision leaving three persons dead on the outskirts of Kadapa on Saturday.

KADAPA: Three persons, including drivers of a lorry and oil tanker and a cleaner, were charred to death when the two vehicles collided and went up in flames on the outskirts of Kadapa city around Friday midnight.

The diesel tank of a lorry carrying pipes from Kadapa to Tirupati burst and flames that erupted engulfed both the vehicles.

Ramnivas (22) of Rajasthan, driver of the oil tanker going from Gujarat to Chennai, and Sivaprasad, driver of the lorry, were burnt alive in the cabins of their respective vehicles.

The body of Murthy, cleaner of the oil tanker, was blown to pieces in the explosion, Chinna Chowk Circle Inspector V. Narayanaswamy Reddy said.

Traffic disrupted

The two burning vehicles on Kadapa-Tirupati express highway disrupted traffic movement for about one-and-a-half hours before they were moved by police to one side of the road.

Case registered

Mr. Narayanaswamy Reddy and Chinna Chowk Sub-Inspector Vijayabhaskar Goud inspected the place of accident and registered a case.

Kadapa Fire Officer Vijayakumar supervised fire-fighting operations.