Tragic Collision on National Highway Claims Four Lives
A devastating road accident on the Bengaluru-Pune national highway in the early hours of Friday resulted in the death of four Ayyappa devotees and left seven others injured. The victims, who were returning home from the Sabarimala temple in Kerala, included a seven-year-old girl.
Details of the Fatal Crash
The tragic incident occurred at approximately 5:30 am near Kora in Tumakuru district. The group, hailing from Kukkanur village in Karnataka's Koppal district, was travelling in a vehicle that collided with a stationary truck parked on the roadside.
The deceased have been identified as 7-year-old Sakshi, Marutappa (45), Venkatesh (30), and Gavisiddappa (28). Among the injured were Sakshi's father, Huligappa, the vehicle's driver Pradeep, and fellow villagers Rajappa, Rakesh, and Tirupati.
According to police officials, the truck, registered in Andhra Pradesh and headed towards Chitradurga, was parked on the highway. Driver Pradeep noticed it only from a short distance and could not avoid the collision.
Severe Impact and Aftermath
The force of the crash was so intense that the front section of the devotees' vehicle got lodged under the truck. Rescue teams had to cut the vehicle to extricate it. Three of the critically injured were shifted to Bengaluru's Victoria Hospital for advanced medical treatment.
Authorities reported that the truck driver and his assistants fled the scene, abandoning their vehicle. Police are investigating whether the truck's parking lights were functional, as the tail lamps were damaged in the accident.
Preliminary inquiries reveal that most of the devotees were farmers, with others being self-employed or daily-wage workers.
Separate Fatality in Electronics City
In an unrelated accident in Bengaluru's Electronics City on Friday afternoon, a 28-year-old man died after falling under a bus. Kani Raju, a juice shop owner from Hosur, Tamil Nadu, was riding triple on a motorcycle with two friends when the mishap occurred around 12:30 pm.
Police stated that the right handle of the bike brushed against a BMTC bus coming from the opposite direction. Raju fell to his right and came under the rear wheels of the bus. His friends, Ponnuraju and Kumar, fell to the left and sustained minor injuries. The BMTC driver has been arrested for causing death due to negligence.
These back-to-back accidents have once again highlighted critical road safety concerns in and around Bengaluru, prompting calls for stricter enforcement of traffic rules and better highway maintenance.
