Eight people, including a bride, died when their mini bus collided head-on with a private bus at Anantawadi in Honnavar taluk on National Highway 66 in the early hours of Thursday.
Police said 23 people sustained injuries in the accident.
The victims are Divya Kurdekar (28) of Davangere; Rukminamma Krishnappa Shet (65) of Shigga in Sorab taluk of Shivamogga district; Palakshi Nagaraj Shet (42), Baby Sunil Shet (38) and Subramanya Sunil Shet (25), all residents of Dasanakoppa in Sirsi taluk, Uttara Kannada district; Pooja Shet (24) of Hungund in Bagalkot district; mini bus driver Nagappa Basappa Ganiger (44); and private bus driver Umesh Valmiki (35) of Bankapur, Shiggaon taluk, Haveri district.
The victims were on their way from Dasanakoppa to Dharmasthala in Dakshina Kannada district to attend the wedding of Divya and Harish Shet at the Manjunatheshwara temple when the accident occurred.
Harish, a resident of Dasanakoppa, is among the injured who are undergoing treatment in Udupi and Kundapur and Kasturba Hospital in Manipal. Four of them are critical and were shifted to the ICU, said Dr (Col) M Dayananda, medical superintendent, Kasturba Hospital.
The couple was in a courtship for some years, following which the marriage was fixed with the consent of the families.
The private bus was on its way from Mangaluru to Honnavar.
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