A family outing to a temple in Tumkuru district ended in tragedy early Monday morning. Five persons — two adults and three children — were killed on the spot and six others injured when their vehicle hit a goods carrier that was parked by the roadside near Kunigal.
At the start of every new year, the Raos visit the Lakshmi Devi temple at Goravanahalli in Koratagere taluk to perform a puja. It was an annual tradition for the family, who live in Maddur of Mandya district but hail from Chowdanakuppe, Kunigal taluk.
Siddoji Rao, 55, his daughter-in-law, Usha Bai, 28, and his grandchildren, Keerthana, 7, Hitesh, 2, and Bhuvan, 17, died on the spot. The six injured were rushed to a nearby hospital.
The Raos had shifted from Chowdanakuppe to Maddur a few years ago where they reared silkworms. According to Mahesh, a relative who lives in Maddur, they left their home around 5 a.m. in their new car. Siddoji’s son Harish was driving.
As they approached Gavimutt, Harish swerved the vehicle to avoid hitting a six-year-old boy, who ran on to the road, said eyewitnesses. While doing so, he rammed into the canter. The police suspect he may have pressed the accelerator instead of the brake. The deceased, who were sitting on the left side of the vehicle, were crushed to death. The boy who crossed the road, Arun Kumar, also sustained head injuries and has been shifted to Bengaluru.
4 die in Hubballi, Dharwad
Meanwhile, four people were killed in separate accidents in Hubballi and Dharwad between Sunday night and Monday morning. In at least two of the cases, the deceased were returning from New Year celebrations, the police said.
Gururaj Venkobrao Meti, 21, was killed after he lost control of his motorcycle and hit a roadside pole on Gokul Road near Vanivilas Circle at 1 a.m. on Monday. In another case, one youth was killed and two others injured after a multi-utility vehicle hit their motorcycle.
Two killed in hit-and-run
Two people were killed in a hit-and-run accident at Huligerepura, Maddur taluk, on the Maddur-Malavalli main road of the district late on Sunday. Police are on the lookout for the driver.
One killed in Mysuru
A 35-year old PE teacher was killed in an accident in Hunsur near Mysuru on Monday. Mahesh, who was working in a private school in Hirikyathanahalli village, was on the way to school when a SUV hit his motorcycle.
