A tragic road accident involving an SUV, a bus, and a truck resulted in the death of six people in the Vijayapura district of Karnataka on Wednesday. According to police, five people died on the spot while another succumbed to injuries at the hospital.
The deceased have been identified as Basavaraja Rathod, a bus driver; T. Bhaskar, a bank manager; his family members Pavithra, Abhiram, and Jotsna; and the car driver, Vikas Mani, a resident of Horthi village.
The accident occurred near Managooli town, close to Basavana Bagewadi in Vijayapura district, on National Highway 50. Bhaskar's family, hailing from Telangana, was returning after visiting tourist spots in coastal and southern Karnataka.
The SUV was heading towards Vijayapura when the driver lost control, causing the vehicle to jump the highway divider and collide with a private bus coming from the opposite direction. Following the collision, the bus driver also lost control, and the vehicle rammed into a parked container truck on the roadside.
The bus driver sustained serious injuries and later died at the hospital. Fortunately, none of the passengers on the bus were injured in the accident. A 10-year-old boy who was travelling in the car had a miraculous escape and is currently being treated at the hospital.
The deceased Bhaskar was employed as a manager at Canara Bank in Horthi village in Vijayapura district. The private bus involved in the accident was on its way from Mumbai to Ballari. The passengers were later sent to their destination in another vehicle.
Senior officers, including Superintendent of Police Laxman Nimbargi, visited the spot. Managooli police have registered a case and are investigating the matter. On May 12, in two separate tragic road accidents, five people lost their lives in Chitradurga district and Hosakote town near Bengaluru, Karnataka.
In the first incident, three people, including a woman, were killed in a head-on collision between an Innova car and a truck near the Kanive Anjaneya temple on the national highway in the morning in Chitradurga.
The impact of the collision left the car mangled beyond recognition. In another incident in the early hours, two persons were killed and another was critically injured in a collision between a tempo and a two-wheeler at Chikkahullur village in Hoskote taluk, Bengaluru Rural district.
According to police, an overspeeding tempo hit the motorcycle, resulting in the tragedy. Preliminary investigations suggest that overspeeding and negligent driving by the tempo driver caused the accident. Further investigation is underway.
On May 8, in two separate tragic road accidents in Karnataka, nine people, including three minors, lost their lives while one person was in a critical condition in Haveri and Bagalkot districts, an official said.