NEW DELHI — At least seven persons died in a road mishap when the mini-truck they were traveling in overturned and fell into a canal in India’s southern state of Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday, confirmed a local cop over phone.

All the deceased were laborers. They were sitting on the bags of cashew nuts loaded in the mini-truck.

The vehicle’s driver lost control of it while taking a sharp turn to avoid a deep pothole. As a result, the vehicle overturned and fell into a canal.

Once it overturned, the laborers also fell into the canal and were trapped under the weight of cashew nut bags. They died of asphyxiation.

The road mishap occurred at Chinnayagudem village in the state’s East Godavari district, added the cop.

XINHUA