3 dead as ambulance heading to TN from Gujarat crashes into parked truck near Chitradurga

CHITRADURGA: Three people, including an aged woman and a teenager, died after the ambulance in which they were travelling rammed into a parked truck near Mallapura on National Highway 48 early on Thursday. Two others were injured and were admitted to the district hospital in Chitradurga.

Gnanasekharan and his family members, who hail from Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu, had settled in Ahmedabad in Gujarat since many years. Two days ago, Gnanasekharan’s maternal grandfather passed away and the family decided to conduct his last rites at their native in Tirunelveli. Gnanasekharan said he paid Rs 85,000 and booked an ambulance to shift the body to Tirunelveli.

“The vehicle had two drivers in the front. I was in the rear along with my mother Kanakamani (72), son Akash (12) and my brother Murali Rajan. Suddenly, the ambulance hit the parked truck. Now, my mother and son are also dead. One of the ambulance drivers too died while the other is alive”, he said.

Locals have expressed anger over trucks being parked on the roadside despite several warnings to park in the truck lay bye. District Superintendent of Police K Parashurama visited the spot and the family of the deceased have been informed about the accident.