JOIN US5 killed, 7 injured in horrific road accident near Hunsur
Five people were killed and seven injured in a head-on collision between a KSRTC bus and a rice-laden lorry on National Highway 275, near Jadaganahallikoppal in Hunsur taluk, on Wednesday morning.
The deceased have been identified as Sadashiva (39), driver of the bus and a resident of Guduganahalli in K R Pet taluk, conductor Devaraj (31) of Harihar in Davangere district, Anju (30), the lorry driver from Guntur in Andhra Pradesh, Ramanjaneyalu (29), the cleaner and Ramanna (60). The injured have been admitted to various hospitals in Mysuru.
The KSRTC bus was bound for Bengaluru from Virajpet and the lorry, transporting sacks of rice, was plying towards Hunsur from Mysuru. The front portion of both the vehicles were completely damaged and were jammed.
According to police, there was dense fog on the highway and the drivers could not see beyond 20 metres in front of them. The KSRTC bus, which was travelling at high speed, tried to overtake a car on a slope near Jadaganahallikoppal, when it collided with the lorry coming in the opposite direction.
Prabhu, a passenger, told DH, “The bus left Virajpet around 4 am and was carrying more than 25 passengers, who were on their way to Mysuru and Bengaluru. Due to heavy mist, the passengers were not able to see anything outside. I was seated in the centre of the bus and suddenly heard a loud noise around 7 am. My head hit against the iron rod of the front seat and I lost consciousness.”
Traffic on the road was disrupted for more than two-and-a-half hours due to the accident. Vehicles were stranded for more than five kilometres on either side. However, traffic police diverted vehicles towards K R Nagar and Kalkunike.
The lorry was carrying rice bags from Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh, to Hunsur. The rice bags were torn open and rice strewn on the road near the accident site.
The locals, who rushed to the site, were seen shifting the rice bags to their houses rather than helping victims, lamented a policeman.