The charred remains of a tipper which caught fire at Pinakota in Ananthagiri mandal of Alluri Sitharama Raju district on Saturday. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGMENT
/ANAKAPALLI
Seven persons, including a government school teacher, were killed in a fire accident followed by an explosion near Bisimamidi village in Pinakota panchayat of Ananthagiri mandal in Alluri Sitharama Raju district on Saturday morning.
The incident occurred when a tipper carrying large quantities of diesel caught fire while its workers were shifting the fuel to a pickup vehicle. The tipper was reportedly meant for transporting earthmovers engaged in road construction work.
The deceased have been identified as J. Sunitha (44), a government school teacher; Mydrebu, a native of Hanumanthawaka in Visakhapatnam; Manyala Manikanta (23) from Devarapalli; A. Guru Pavan (27) from Kadapa district; Pangi Chiranjeevi of Pedabayalu in ASR district; Tinku Chandravamsi Singh, an earthmover operator from Bihar; Nazeer from Assam and M. Narayana Rao from Cheedikada in Anakapalli district.
According to the police, the pickup truck was heading towards the Pinakota region where the Panchayat Raj Department was carrying out road construction work. A tipper was also heading towards the worksite.
The pickup truck had four persons on board, including its driver, Manikanta; Sunitha, a government school teacher who reportedly took a lift to a village near Pinakota to reach her school; and two supervisors, Narayana Rao and Guru Pavan Kumar.
The incident occurred at around 8.30 a.m., near Bisimamidi village, when Manikanta was reportedly trying to transfer fuel to the tipper with the help of the tipper driver, Chiranjeevi. Two earthmover operators, Tinku and Nazeer, were also reportedly present near the vehicles when the incident occurred.
The police suspect that a spark generated during the fuel transfer from the tipper might have triggered the fire.
The tipper was reportedly carrying around 250 litres of diesel. The flames soon spread to the pickup truck, triggering an explosion.
As per the fellow workers, the tipper reportedly was also carrying an LPG cylinder, possibly for preparing food for the workers, apart from the fuel, which may also have contributed to the severity of the explosion.
Eyewitnesses said they heard a deafening sound, following which flames engulfed both vehicles. The impact of explosion was so severe that bodies were reportedly flung several metres away from the spot.
The incident occurred in an interior village near the Raiwada reservoir, where road connectivity and transport facilities are limited. The difficult terrain posed challenges for those rushing to the spot after the explosion.
Initial report said gelatin sticks, used in road works, caused the explosion. However, the police said that there was no evidence of gelatin sticks present on the tipper. However, it is yet to be ascertained whether the tipper van was carrying an LPG cylinder, as claimed by the workers. The forensic report will reveal more clues, said a police officer.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan enquired about the incident. Expressing grief, he reportedly ordered an inquiry. Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha, TDP Andhra Pradesh unit president Palla Srinivasa Rao and BJP A.P. president P.V.N. Madhav expressed grief over the deaths.
₹5 lakh compensation
District Collector T. Nishanthi said that a compensation of ₹5 lakh would be paid by the contractor to each beareved family.
Published - October 24, 2026 07:32 pm IST