Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh:
Five persons were today killed and 12 women seriously injured in a head-on collision between two trucks in Jonnada village in East Godavari district, around 25 km from Rajahmundry, police said.
The accident took place early this morning, when a cement-laden truck, heading to Visakhapatnam from Vinukonda in Guntur district, with 20 construction workers on board, collided with another truck going towards Jannawada in East Godavari district, police said.
According to police, four workers travelling in the cement-laden truck and driver of another truck died on the spot and both trucks fell into the canal below.
The seriously injured women were rushed to the Rajahmundry Government Hospital for treatment.
The women passengers were sitting on the top of the cement-carrying truck. All of them are from Basta village in Visakhapatnam district, police said.
Police are still trying to identify the victims.
Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy expressed anguish over the accident.
Reddy contacted District Collector Neetu Kumar and took stock of the situation, sources said.
He directed the Collector and District Superintendent of Police Trivikram Verma to submit a report on the incident, they said.