Four killed as private bus crashes into divider on Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway

Bengaluru: Four people were killed and several others injured in a horrific accident on the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway during the early hours of Monday. The mishap occurred near Puttappanadoddi in Sankalagere village, Channapatna taluk, when a private bus belonging to Kerala-based P K Travels crashed into a highway divider.

The bus was en route from Kerala to Bengaluru when the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle around 4:30 am. While the driver initially claimed the accident occurred while attempting to avoid an oncoming vehicle, police suspect driver negligence.

"The driver claimed he swerved to miss another vehicle, but after verifying CCTV footage from the stretch, it appears the driver fell asleep at the wheel," a senior traffic police officer stated. The Channapatna traffic police have since arrested the driver and registered a case of negligent driving.

According to police, two passengers died on the spot, while two others succumbed to their injuries at the hospital. The deceased are Mohammed Farhan (22) from Koyilandy, Calicut, Darshan (45), a resident of Kalasipalya, Bengaluru, Shakeer (27), a resident of Annepalya, Adugodi, Bengaluru and Mahi (45) from Pondicherry.

Two other passengers Abdul and Alain from Kannur, Kerala, sustained injuries and are currently undergoing treatment at a local hospital.