Villagers went on a rampage setting afire a van that rammed a three-wheeler and a bike killing five persons at Balanagar on the Kurnool-Hyderabad highway, nearly 70 km from here, and allegedly assaulted a police Inspector and some constables on Friday evening.
The speeding van first hit a motorcycle crossing the road before ploughing into the pedestrians crossing the road. While one person was riding the bike, two others were riding pillion. Two of the bike-borne persons and three pedestrians died in the accident.
Eight others sustained injuries. The condition of three of them is said to be critical, said Mahbubnagar DSP Mahesh, who rushed to the spot with additional forces as the mobs simmering with anger attacked whoever came in their way and set afire the van that hit the bike and the pedestrians.
The Circle Inspector of the area and police constables accompanying him were attacked by the angry groups of people. On Friday, a weekly market is organised. Hawkers place their goods, vegetables and groceries on the road (national highway) shrinking the road space available for vehicles to move, the police said.
Some villagers formed a shield covering the policemen being attacked and shifted them to a nearby school building. Two other policemen escaped from the place as the crowds chased them, according to information reaching here.
Among the victims were two girls Jumna,3, and Tinki, 8, and a boy Jaswanth, 10. The other two victims were identified as Sunitha and Panni. Vehicles came to a grinding halt on the highway following the accident and piled up for kilometres together on either side of Balanagar.
