Four killed, two injured in tragic road accident near Andhra Pradesh’s Bapatla

Four persons were killed and two others sustained serious injuries in a ghastly road accident near Satyavatipeta village in Karlapalem mandal of Bapatla district in the early hours of Monday (November 3, 2025).

According to police, a speeding car, while overtaking another vehicle, collided with a lorry that was coming in the opposite direction, resulting in the death of four occupants on the spot and injuring two others. The deceased were identified as Bethalam Balarama Raju (65), Bethalam Lakshmi (60), (husband and wife), Gadiraju Pushpavathi (60) and Mudunuri Srinivasa Raju (54) and all residents of Karlapalem.

Preliminary information suggests that the victims were returning home after attending the sangeet function of the son of MLA Narendra Varma when the accident occurred. Police said the deceased were relatives of the wife of the legislator.

The injured have been shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment. Police have registered a case and are investigating the cause of the accident.

Bapatla District Superintendent of Police B. Umamaheshwar told The Hindu that the primary investigation revealed that the accident happened when this car driven by one of the deceased rammed into a lorry coming in the opposite direction, while overtaking another vehicle.

The lorry which was coming in the opposite direction was laden with a load of shrimp. The SP said that as the lorry was travelling with a heavy load, the car which was reportedly in high speed was completely mangled and the four died on the spot, while two children aged about 11 and 12 suffered severe injuries. The injured have been admitted in hospital for treatment. He added that once the postmortem is completed, the bodies will be given to the family members of the deceased.

The SP added that out of the four deceased, two were couple and other two were relatives of them and they were returning home late in the intervening night of Sunday and Monday (November 2 and 3) after attending the Sangeet event.

When asked about suspected drink driving, he said that the postmortem report from the hospital will reveal that in the course of time. He added that there were no injuries to the persons in the lorry.