NEW DELHI, April 21 (Xinhua) -- At least 14 people were killed and 17 others injured Friday after a truck hit an electric pole snapping live wires and ran into a crowd in southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, officials said.
The accident took place near Tirupati in district Chittor, about 414 km south of Amaravati, the main city in Andhra Pradesh.
"Today a truck hit an electric pole snapping live wires and ran into a crowd killing 14 people and injuring 17 others," a police officer in Tirputi told Xinhua over telephone. "The injured were immediately removed to hospital."
Reports said the victims include a group of farmers who had gathered along the road to protest against the alleged sand mafia in the area.
Police said most of the people were killed because of electrocution.
The local Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has expressed grief over the deaths in Chittoor and ordered administration to help the victims.
Deadly road accidents are common in India due to overloading, bad condition of roads and reckless driving.
India's ministry of road transport in 2015 said 146,133 people were killed and 500,279 others injured in 501,423 road accidents across the country.
