A 14-year-old girl was charred to death, while four others sustained injuries in a freak road accident that occurred between a van and a car on the outskirts of the city on Sunday night.
The accident occurred near Madawara toll gate on Tumakuru highway around 10 p.m. The van was carrying eight people belonging to the same family who were returning home after attending a family function.
A speeding car crashed into the van from behind and due to the impact, the van rolled over thrice and overturned before fire broke out in the van. As a result, Divya was charred to death, while her relatives identified as Naman, Sunitha and Mayank sustained severe injuries and are in the ICU. Others, including Manjula, Tarun, Mahesh and Shantilal were also injured.
The fire was triggered owing to leakage in the petrol tank and sparks caused due to the van rolling over many times, the police said. Three accused in the car were also injured, but escaped soon after the accident before passers-by rushed to the victims’ help. The Madanayakanahalli police shifted the injured to the hospital, while efforts are on to track down the accused based on the CCTV footage.
