Five persons were killed on the spot and 26 were injured in a road accident involving a tractor-trolley near Murgondi, 8 km from Athani town, on Friday evening. Of those killed, three were children.
The victims were returning to their native Rabkavi of Bagalkot district after a wedding in Mole village of Athani taluk when the accident occurred. The dead were identified as Danappa Mahadev Talvar (9), Priyanka Ravi Halannavar (3), Basavaraj Suresh Nandeswar (7), Kallavva Sadashiv Talvar (65) and Renuka Bhajantri (40).
According to the police, the driver lost control over the vehicle while trying to overtake a North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation bus, following which the trolley, in which around 50 persons were travelling, got detached from the tractor and overturned.
The victims were immediately shifted to the government hospital in Athani town.
Doctors said that the condition of three persons of the 14 referred to the government hospital in Sangli in Maharashtra was critical. The other injured persons have been admitted to hospital in Athani.
