An elderly couple was killed and five others were injured when their sports-utility vehicle toppled near Sangapura, on Mandya-Melkote main road, in the taluk on Sunday evening.
According to the injured, the accident occurred when the driver, a son of the deceased couple, tried to save a snake that was crossing the road.
Seetharam Raju (74) and his wife Ratnamma (62) died on the spot. Their son Shridhar Raju (45), his wife Mamatha (40), Shridhar Raju’s son Rahul (15), their relative Krishna and another person sustained injuries, Shivalli station police said.
All of them, residents of Bhuvaneshwari Nagar in Bengaluru, were heading to pilgrim centre Melkote near Pandavapura to offer a puja. Mr. Shridhar Raju failed to control the speeding vehicle when he noticed the snake, police said.
The vehicle turned over several times and halted after hitting boulders. The injured were rushed to the Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences (MIMS) and another hospital in Bengaluru.
