Five die as train rams into auto

NALGONDA: Five persons died when the Secunderabad-Guntur Palnadu Express train hit an autorickshaw at an unmanned level crossing near Kondapakagudem village in Narketpally mandal on Friday evening.According to reports, K.Pedda Andallu (40), K.Komaramma (48), K.Lingaiah (80) and Dasari Vijay (38) died on the spot, and T.Parvathamma (32) died during treatment at Kamineni Hospital at Narketpally.All the victims hailed from Kondapakagudem village.The women, farm workers and belonging to one family, were members of an SHG and were on their way to a fair at Narketpally after attending a meeting at the MRO's office.Angry villagers placed the bodies and the mangled autorickshaw on the track and stopped the Godavari and Janmabhoomi Express trains, demanding compensation to the families of the deceased.Nalgonda DSP Vijaypal, Mother Dairy chairman Gutta Jitendar Reddy visited the accident spot.The district has 49 unmanned level crossings. Three major and over a hundred minor accidents have taken place on the Bibinagar-Nadikude stretch of the track, which runs parallel to NH-9, in the past 17 years. About 35 persons died when Narayanadri Express rammed a tractor in Ramannapeta mandal on May 3, 1994. On September 24, 1998, 20 people died and 33 were injured when a train engine rammed a bus at an unmanned level-crossing near Bottalapalem in Damaracharla mandal.