In a ghastly road accident, four women farm workers were killed and seven others injured when a speeding lorry collided with an overloaded auto trolley at Mandaripet village in Shayampet mandal of Hanamkonda district, early on Friday.
Sources said the sand-laden lorry hit the auto trolley carrying farm workers after its driver lost control of the wheel at a high speed near the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya on the outskirts of Mandaripet early Friday morning.
Three occupants of the auto trolley were killed on the spot and another succumbed to the injuries while being shifted to a hospital, sources added.
The victims were identified as Manjula, 45, Vimala, 50, Renuka, 46, and Komuramma, 48, all belonging to Pathipaka village.
They were travelling in the crammed auto trolley heading to chilli fields at Moggullapally village in the neighbouring Jayashankar Bhupalpally district, when tragedy struck them.
The gory accident claimed the lives of the sole breadwinners of four poor families of farm labourers of the same village.
Soon after the accident, the driver of the lorry fled from the spot along with his vehicle.
The horrific road accident yet again exposed the unabated plying of overloaded vehicles in blatant violation of road safety rules on inter-district highways.
Shayampet police registered a case and are investigating.
