PAYAKARAOPET (Visakhapatnam): Ten fishermen were killed while another 10 suffered serious injuries when the van they were travelling in rammed into a stationary lorry on national highway 5 at Namavaram here in the early hours of Tuesday. All the passengers belonged to Palli community, a fishermen community of Mandapeta in East Godavari, and were returning to their native village after their catch in Visakhapatnam. According to police, the dense fog coupled with drowsy driver could have led to the accident.
The mishap occurred when the van going towards Tuni from Parawada in Visakhapatnam in a great speed rammed into the stationary lorry from behind at a petrol bunk near Namavaram on NH-5. About 22 fishermen, carrying the left-over load of fish, were travelling in the van, the police said.
Most of the victims were from Mandapeta while a few hailed from Alamuru and Ravulapalem in East Godavari. Four persons including the driver were in the driver's cabin while the others were sleeping in the back cabin.
Eight of them including the driver were killed on the spot while two others breathed their last in the Tuni area hospital. The deceased were identified as Pandanki Apparao (40), Pandanki Suresh (18), Gampa Krishna (40), Siddantham Raju (38), van driver Jampala Balaji (28), Dasari Ganesh (35), Jampala Nagababu (40), Chinna (24) and Sunny Babu (28).
