Karnataka: 14 dead, 21 injured in Srirangapattna Bidar National Highway mishap

Reportedly, a majority of them are daily wage workers from Kalaburagi district.
11 died in accident at Srirangapattna- Bidar National Highway | EPS
11 died in accident at Srirangapattna- Bidar National Highway | EPS

CHITRADURGA/RAMPURA: Fourteen people died in a serial accident involving a truck, two autorickshaws and a Tempo Traveller at Devasamudra Cross near Rampura village in Molakalmuru taluk on Saturday afternoon.

Of the fourteen, eleven people died on the spot while three succumbed to injuries at Vijayanagara Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS) at Ballari.  Twenty one people who sustained injuries were referred to VIMS and the condition of six of them is said to be serious.

The ten-wheeler truck, carrying paddy husk to Challakere, first hit an autorickshaw that was coming from Nagasamudra and then hit another autorickshaw coming from Andhra Pradesh and finally collided with a Tempo Traveller which was on its way from Bengaluru to Bevinahalli village in Shahapur taluk of Yadgir district. The occupants of the Tempo Traveller were reportedly on their way to their native Bevinahalli village to attend the cremation of their relative Hoovappa.

Basavaraja (34), the autorickshaw driver from Nagasamudra, Vaishali (8) of Wodeyarahalli, Ganganna (35), Shobha (14) from Jahagir Buddenahalli of Molakalmuru taluk, Honnurappa (48), Durgamma (40), Chinthamani (13) all from Appenahalli village of Kudligi taluk in Ballari district died on the spot. Shivaraja (9), Ninga Reddy (55) all residents of Bevinahalli in Shahapur taluk of Yadgir district and Jayamma (50) of Nagasamudra village succumbed to injuries at VIMS, Ballari. Four bodies are yet to be identified and they are being kept at the VIMS mortuary, said IGP Eastern Range M A Saleem.

Though it was initially suspected that the accident may have occurred due to a tyre burst, superintendent of police Arun Rangarajan said.

"The driver of the Uttar Pradesh-registered ten-wheeler truck is absconding and the police are on the lookout for him. If the driver is not found, the district police will book a case against the owner of the truck,” he said.

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