More than 40 people were grievously injured when the private bus in which they were travelling fell into the Bhadra canal at Ekkanahalli village of the taluk on Tuesday.
An 11-month-old baby is among the injured and is undergoing treatment at the ICU of the SS Hitech Hospital in Davangere. The accident occurred when the bus was on its way from Basavapatna to Davangere.
The driver, who was overspeeding, lost control of the vehicle and it plunged into the canal. Residents of the village rescued many of the passengers with the help of ladders of ropes. The injured were admitted to the community health centre at Malebennur and hospitals in Kundur and Koolambi.
The residents said that the road had been dug up recently for laying drinking water pipelines.
But it had not been asphalted properly after laying the pipelines and this might have led to the accident, they said.
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels| Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks