VIJAYAWADA: As many as eight school students were injured after the auto-rickshaw in which they were travelling hit a truck at Sangam-Sarat junction in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday morning.
Among the students, the condition of two of them is said to be serious, as per the police.
The ghastly incident happened on Wednesday morning when the auto-rickshaw was ferrying the children to a private school in Ram Nagar. While crossing a four-road junction, the three-wheeler hit a truck that was heading towards Siripuram junction from Railway Station Road. Several students flew out of the vehicle due to the impact, as the auto overturned.
The police suspect negligent and rash driving of both the autorickshaw and lorry driver may have led to the accident. The viral CCTV footage of the accident retrieved from a camera installed in a nearby building is being shared widely on social media.
#WATCH | Andhra Pradesh: Eight school children were injured in an accident when an auto collided with a lorry near Sangam Sarat Theatre in Visakhapatnam Source: CCTV Footage from a local shop pic.twitter.com/sr9xaadUVo
— ANI (@ANI) November 22, 2023Locals rushed to the spot and helped the injured children. The injured children were immediately rushed to the Railway hospital.
Eyewitnesses alleged that the already overspeeding truck couldn't immediately bring the vehicle to a halt and it was only after a few meters the driver managed the pull the brakes. The truck driver tried to escape the spot, however, the locals managed to nab him.
Both the lorry driver and the autorickshaw driver were taken into police custody. A case has been registered and further investigations are underway.
