Two people were killed when a fuel tanker fell into a 300 foot deep gorge near Doddatoppalu in Sakleshpur taluk on Tuesday night.

The tanker was transporting fuel from Bengaluru.

Police said, the driver tried to negotiate a slushy road dampened by recent heavy rains in the Western Ghats, and lost control of the vehicle. The soil caved in and the heavy laden vehicle toppled on its side.  

Fuel from the tanker spilled onto the road. However, no fire broke out as the road was completely wet and it was pouring heavily.

A rescue and salvage team is working to clear the wreckage. One unidentified body has been retrieved so far according to rural sub-inspector Jagadish.