Five people were killed and six others were injured after a container truck collided with a car and then ploughed into other vehicles and a roadside tea stall at Chadulapura Cross on National Highway 7 on the outskirts of Chickballapur on Thursday. Most of the victims had stopped for a tea break.
According to the police, the Haryana-registered container truck was heading towards Hyderabad from Bengaluru. “The driver Shahul, 24, failed to see a speed breaker and lost control of the vehicle. The truck collided with two cars before going straight through the tea shop,” said a police officer.
Two people died on the spot while three others succumbed in a hospital later in the day.
“We have arrested Shahul. He was driving in a rash and negligent manner, which led to the death of so many people,” said a senior police officer.
The deceased have been identified as Yamunachar, 44, an advocate; H.V. Venkatesh, 44, a clerk in the Taluk Agricultural Produce Co-operative Marketing Society Ltd. in Chikkaballapur; Kalanjiam, 47, a resident of Banaswadi; Nitesh Gowda, 25, from Doddaballapur; and Rangapp, 55, from Srinivasapura. The six injured persons were admitted to various hospitals.
