5 devotees travelling to Telangana fair killed in accident

Hyderabad, Feb 19 (IANS) At least five devotees, who were on their way to the Medaram Jatara, were killed in a road accident in Telangana's Mulugu district on Saturday, police said.

A car in which the devotees were travelling collided head-on with a Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) bus on the Warangal-Medaram road.

According to the police, the accident occurred near Gattamma temple when the car with six family members inside, rammed into the bus coming from the opposite direction. One person was injured and was admitted to a local hospital.

Rescue workers had a tough time retrieving the bodies from the car as it was badly mangled in the collision. However, there were no casualties among bus passengers.

The accident led to a huge traffic jam on the highway. The damaged car had to be removed with the help of a crane to clear the road.

The deceased belonging to Chandrupatla village in Mulugu district, were on their way for darshan of Sammakka Saralamma Jatara Medaram Jatara (a festival celebrated in Telangana to honour Hindu tribal goddesses).

Saturday is the last day of the four-day tribal fair, which is considered the biggest in Asia.