4 coming from funeral killed as car, BMTC bus collide

Four people lost their lives and another was seriously injured after their car had a head-on collision with a BMTC Volvo bus near ISRO office on Old Airport Road in eastern Bengaluru on Wednesday.

While the car driver, Laveen (24), and other passengers, Reena (50), Nimmi alias Nirmala (53) and Elsamma (52), died, Sreeja (53) sustained grievous injuries and was admitted to the Vydehi Hospital in a critical condition.

All the victims were residents of Munekolala and Doddanekundi, Marathahalli, police said.

Place of accident

According to the police, the accident occurred around 2.45 pm on the Doddanekundi Road at the Jawaharnagar turn when they were returning from the funeral service of Laveen’s uncle in Halasuru. Laveen’s father Joseph who did not attend the funeral said he lost his brother on Tuesday and his son and wife on Wednesday.

The speeding car was trying to overtake another vehicle and collided head-on with the
Volvo bus coming in the opposite direction, police said.

The collision was so severe that the front of the Hyundai Santro, bearing registration number KA 53/Z 1581, was mangled and it took a while for the police to extricate the bodies of Laveen and
Reena. Meanwhile, police pulled out the three women who were seated behind and rushed them to a private hospital.

Quoting the doctors, police said Sreeja was now able to speak but her condition remained critical.

Though none of the bus passengers was injured, the bus driver, Nagesh, sustained minor bruises while applying sudden brakes.

The Old Airport Road traffic police have registered a case against the deceased car driver, booking him for rash and negligent driving causing accidental deaths.

“After we rushed to the spot, we confirmed it was the car driver’s mistake and not of the BMTC driver and we have registered the case accordingly,” said Anupam
Agarwal, DCP Traffic (East).