TUMAKURU: In an accident which occurred on Sunday midnight, seven people, including five women, died and 25 others were injured when a bus hit a stationary lorry at Sira bypass on NH-48.The deceased have been identified as seven-year-old Anusha, daughter of Lingaraju, Savitha (21), Rathnamma (38), Sumalatha (21), Girijamma (50), all from Pattanayakanahalli village and Shanakra (35) and Ashwatha Narayana (39) of Sira town.
They were returning after a pilgrimage to Sigandhuru Chowdeshwari temple when the driver of the bus dozed off and hit the lorry around 11.30 pm.The injured have been shifted to the district general hospital here and in Bengaluru. Sira town police rushed to the spot and took up a rescue operation. Former minister and Sira JD(S) MLA B Sathyanarayana left the party camp at a resort in Devanahalli and visited the injured who are being treated at the hospital here.
“They were all my relatives and had the driver managed for around 10-15 minutes they would have returned home safely,” sobbed C Ashwathanarayana of Kamagondanahalli village.