3 B'luru students die as lorry rams TT near C'durga

Three students died when a lorry rammed a stationary MUV near JMET College on the Pune-Bengaluru national highway here early Monday morning.

The deceased are Srinidhi, 21, Harsha Gowda, 20, and Karthik, 21, who died on the spot. Six students were injured in the accident. Among the injured, Bharath, Kiran and Harsha have been taken to Bengaluru for advanced treatment.

Police said the accident occurred due to the negligence of the lorry driver. The Tempo Traveller (TT) was parked on the roadside to change one of the tyres that burst. The occupants were sitting by the roadside. When the lorry rammed the TT, it turned turtle and and fell on the students, before hitting the protection wall. The students, a group of 13 from Vijaya College in Bengaluru, had been on a vacation to Gokarna and were returning home.

The lorry was on its way to Bengaluru from Davangere. Local residents said the accident could have been avoided had the TT been parked on the nearby service road or at least the parking lights were kept on. They complained that there are no streetlights at the spot of the accident. Personnel in the highway patrol vehicle did not notice that the TT was parked without the parking lights being switched on, even though it was on the highway for half an hour, the residents said.