Four people were killed and another severely injured when their tempo Trax rammed a stationary lorry, near Solapur Cross in Hukkeri taluk, on the Pune-Bangalore National Highway in the early hours of Thursday.
The deceased have been identified as Ismail Shigehalli (60) of Devihosur in Haveri, Santosh Goundar (28) of Byahatti in Hubli, Mohammad Ismail (31) of Davangere and Vashappa Landage (50) of Nippani in Belgaum.
Another passenger, Abdul Razaq Hunshimarad, a resident of Hubli, has been admitted to Sankeshwar general hospital for treatment.
According to the police, the tempo, which was transporting newspapers, was on its way to Kolhapur from Hubli, when the driver lost control of the vehicle and rammed the lorry.
The impact reduced the vehicle to a jumble of metal. It is suspected that Goundar, the cleaner, was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident. The actual driver, Subbarao Kulkarni, a resident of Hubli, is absconding.
Traffic ground to a halt on the busy highway, following the accident. Police had a tough time clearing the block. Sankeshwar police have registered a case.
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