Three persons died on spot and two others sustained severe injuries when an ambulance driver lost balance while ferrying the mortal remains of a person in the vehicle from Gujarat to Tamil Nadu and hit a lorry parked near Mallapura in the taluk on Thursday.
According to police, Kanakamani (72) and Akash (17) of Tamil Nadu, and Jnana Shekhar (51), the ambulance driver, died in the tragedy.
Mouli Rajan (45) sustained severe injuries and was admitted to the Chitradurga District General Hospital.
One of the family members of Kanakamani, hailing from Tamil Nadu, was settled in Ahmedabad in Gujarat.
Following the sudden death in the western state, relatives were ferrying the body to Tamil Nadu in an ambulance.
However, the driver felt drowsy and hit the lorry parked near Mallapura on NH-48. Three persons who were travelling in the ambulance died on spot.
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