Karnataka: Fourteen killed, 20 injured as lorry collides with tempo in Chitradurga

Bengaluru: At least 14 people were killed and several were left injured after a lorry collided with a tempo on a national highway in Karnataka on Saturday.

The incident took place in Chitradurga district of the state.

As per the report, nearly 20 people were left in the mishap that took place when a truck collided with a Tempo Traveller today afternoon. The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital, a police official told media.

“The mishap occurred around 11.30 a.m. at Rampura when the truck driver lost control and rammed into the tempo after hitting two auto-rickshaws on State Highway 110,” Rampura Inspector Sridar Shastri told IANS.

Police said the victims were construction workers on way to their native place from Bengaluru.

Rampura is about 80 km from Chitradurga and 260 km from state capital Bengaluru towards Bellari in the state`s northwest region.

“The husk-laden truck was on way to Bengaluru from Bellari via Chitradurga while the tempo was going to Molkalkur. The truck driver fled the spot,” Shastri said.

A case has been registered against the absconding driver and truck owner under Section 304-A of the Indian Penal Code and the vehicle seized.

Earlier, Chitradurga District Superintendent of Police M. Arun Rangarajan told IANS that 11 of the victims died on the spot. The three others succumbed to serious injuries in a state-run hospital at Bellari.

“The injured have been rushed to the Vijayanagara Institute of Medical Sciences at Bellari,” said Rangarajan.

IANS