JOIN USNine people, including six women, died on the spot and six suffered grievous injuries, after the trailer of a sugar cane-laden tractor overturned and crushed them on Monday.
The incident occurred at Todalabagi village of Jamakhandi taluk in Bagalkot district.
The deceased have been identified as Mallappa Sabu Sangapura, 65, Mahadevi Basappa Sonnadha, 35, Chaitra Raju Chattera, 35, Anil Kumar Bakate, 50, Tangevva Lakshmana Daphalapura, 55, Sulochana Yallappa Bhajantri, 40, and Abdul Haneef, 25.
Chattera was a teacher at the Todalabagi primary school and Haneef, a native of Uttar pradesh, ran a bakery.
The identity of two other female victims is yet to be established. Shankar Atmaram Shinde, 51, Sumitra Siddappa Sanasidda, 31, Lakshmi Pattara, Sharada Arakeri, Mahboobi Valikara and Hamida Yaligara have been grievously injured. Seven others sustained minor injuries.
The accident occurred on a road that was under repair. While concrete has been laid on one half of the road, the other has been left unrepaired.
The tractor was on its way to deliver sugar cane to Renuka Sugars at Yallamavadi in Athani taluk. A shandy was in progress, when the trailer of the tractor overloaded with sugar cane rolled away onto the side of the road, crushing nine people.
MP, MLC roughed up
The public, enraged at the accident, assaulted Member of Parliament P C Gaddigoudar and MLC G S Nyamegowda when they arrived at the spot. They said the accident was caused due to the bad condition of the road and demanded that the families of the deceased be paid a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each. They blocked the road and would not let the bodies be taken to hospital. Police had to resort to mild caning to control the mob.
Compensation
District in-charge Minister S R Patil visited the accident spot and announced a compensation of Rs one lakh each, under the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, to the families of the victims.