Seven killed after lorry collides with two autos in Karnataka

The accident occurred when the family members of Ballari's Kaul Bazar were on their way to Tungabhadra Dam. As many as 19 people were travelling in two autos.

Vijayanagar (Karnataka): At least seven people were killed after a truck collided with two autorickshaws in Karnataka's Vijayanagar on Friday, the police said. The incident took place at Vaddarahalli railway-over-bridge in Hospet. The deceased have been identified as Salim, Safura Bee (55), Kausar (35), Yasmeen (28), Ibrahim (28), Zaheer (4), and an auto driver Shyam. All the deceased hailed from Kaul Bazaar of Ballari.

According to the police, the accident occurred when the family members of Ballari's Kaul Bazar were on their way to Tungabhadra Dam. As many as 19 people were travelling in two autos. The autos collided with a speeding lorry and fell into a ditch. A total of seven people, including five women, died on the spot, the police said.

On receiving the information, the Hospet rural station police reached the spot and lifted the two autos that fell in the ditch and admitted the injured to the Hospet Government Hospital. And the remaining 12 people, four suffered serious injuries and are undergoing treatment at Ballari's Vijayanagara Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS) Hospital while eight others are undergoing treatment at Hosapet Government Hospital, the police said.

Bellari Zone Inspector General of Police (IGP) Lokesh, along with local MLA Gaviyappa, visited the spot and consoled the injured. A case has been registered in Hospet rural police station. "They had arrived at Hospet from Ballari to see the Tungabhadra Dam. The incident took place on the way to the dam," DSP Vishwanath Kulkarni informed.

Meanwhile, Rs 2 lakhs each from the CM Relief Fund for the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured have been announced. Ballari District In-charge Minister B Nagendra spoke to CM Siddaramaiah over the phone and urged the former to provide compensation to the families of the deceased.

In a separate incident, a mother and two children died when they slipped and fell in a river while washing clothes on the banks of the River Bhima near Khedagi village of Indi taluk of Vijayapur district on Friday, the police said. The deceased have been identified as Geetha Honnura (38), Shobhita (12) and Vasudev (10).

According to the police, Vasudev fell into the river while his mother Geeta was washing clothes. Seeing this, sister Shobhita went to rescue him and both of them met a watery grave as they cannot swim. She jumped into the river to save the children and all of them drowned. The bodies were retrieved from the river and a case has been registered in this regard at Indi Rural Police Station, the police said.