22 pilgrims killed after van falls into barrage in Andhra Pradesh

Rajahmundry: Twenty two people were killed, including nine women and six children after the van they were travelling in plunged into the River Godavari in Andhra Pradesh in the wee hours on Saturday.The van, hired by the pilgrims fell into Dowleswaram barrage near Rajahmundry and police received the information about 5 am.
Citing preliminary information, a police official at the spot said, “a group of people were returning from Tirupati after visiting the temple. The vehicle driver appeared to have lost control and hit a wall of the bridge and fell off into Gaodavari River.” However, the water-level at the point of accident was very shallow, he said.All the deceased belonged to Achyutapuram area, near Visakhapatnam.The relatives of the deceased have been informed, police said.The victims were returning after visiting Tirupathi Temple.