13 Killed as Truck Runs Into Crowd in Chittoor in Andhra

The incident occurred outside Yerpedu police station in Chittoor.

• 13 people were killed and several injured in a truck mishap in AP’s Chittoor district
• The truck rammed into a crowd of protesters near the Yerpedu police station
• The protesters were there to submit a petition against illegal sand mining in the Swarnamukhi river
• The injured were rushed to VR Ruia Government General Hospital in Tirupati
• CM Chandrababu Naidu has announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the deceased
• PM Narendra Modi expressed grief about the incident on Twitter
  

CM Announces Compensation

AP CM Chandrababu Naidu has announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the families of those who lost their lives in the mishap.

Deeply saddened by the Chittoor incident, State Cabinet has announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the families of the deceased.

— N Chandrababu Naidu (@ncbn) April 21, 2017

AP Medical Officer Issues Instructions

Minister for Health and Medical Services Kamineni Srinivas told Telangana Today that district officials will provide all the necessary medical treatment for the injured. The post mortem of the victims must be completed and their bodies must be released to their families immediately, he ordered

Truck Driver Was Drunk: Reports

Reports suggest that the driver of the truck was drunk at the time of the incident. According to NDTV, the speeding truck hit an electric pole and rammed into a crowd of farmers outside the police station. The farmers had reportedly gathered near the police station to demand action against the sand mafia operating in Munagalapalem village in the district.