10 killed in head-on collision near T. Narsipur

Ten people, including three children, died and three others sustained injuries when the multipurpose vehicle (MPV) in which they were travelling collided with a private bus near Kurubur village, about 35 km from Mysuru, on NH-766 (between T.Narsipur and Kollegal) in Mysuru district on Monday.

The injured have been shifted to K.R. Hospital in Mysuru and the condition of one of them is said to be critical.

Ten out of 13 passengers in the car, including the driver, died on the spot. The deceased were from Ballari district and were returning from M.M. Hills. The impact of the collision was so strong that some passengers were thrown out of the vehicle.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has expressed shock over the accident and announced a compensation of ₹2 lakh each to the families of the deceased under the CM’s Relief Fund.

Mysuru Superintendent of Police Seema Latkar said it was a head-on collision between the bus and the MPV. A five-year-old boy, identified as Puneeth, is among the three injured.

The police gave the names of the deceased as Manjunath, 25, Poornima, 30, Pavan, 10, Karthik, 8, Sandeep, 24, Sujatha, 40, Kotresh, 45, Gayathri, 35, Shravya, 3, and Aditya, who was driving the car. The two other injured are Shashikumar and Janardhan.

Some passengers of the private bus suffered minor bruises and received first-aid at the local hospital.

State Sugarcane Growers’ Association president Kurubur Shanthkumar, who belongs to Kurubur village where the accident took place, said accident spots on the busy stretch of the highway need to be identified and a warning signage has to be put up for motorists’ safety. “Plants and weeds at turning spots sometimes block the view of the drivers, endangering the safety of passengers. Such mishaps can be prevented if the highway authorities take precaution,” he said.

A purported dashcam footage of the private bus that has gone viral on social media has caught the accident wherein the car veers to its left instead of right resulting in the collision.

Minister for Social Welfare H.C. Mahadevappa, who is the MLA for T.Narsipur, visited K.R. Hospital and Cheluvamba Hospital here and enquired about the condition of the injured passengers.

The Chief Minister has directed the officials concerned to ensure proper treatment for the injured.