Seven women killed, two critically injured in road accident near Bidar

All of them were farm labourers and returning home after work in a vehicle designed to carry goods

The three-wheeler collided with a speeding truck killing seven farm labourers and injuring two at Bemalkheda village, about 50 km from Bidar, late on Friday. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Seven women were killed and two critically injured in a road accident at Bemalkheda village, about 50 km from Bidar in north Karnataka, late on Friday.

The victims were agricultural labourers and were returning from a farm to their native village Udamanalli in Chitaguppa taluk when their three-wheeler (locally called tom-tom) collided with a speeding tipper at Bemalkheda.

The deceased have been identified as Prabhavathi Devendra, 36, Yadamma Ashmitha, 40, Gundamma Narasinga, 52, Jakkamma, 32, Rukminibai Amritha, 60, Eshwaramma Bakkappa, 55, and Manjula, 40. Jagannath Natekar and Ashok, drivers of the autorickshaw and tipper truck, and nine others were injured in the accident.

According to the police, the vehicles collided head-on killing one person on the spot. The injured were rushed to Bidar Institute of Medical Sciences (BRIMS). Four of them were declared brought dead and two died later.

According to Bidar Deputy Commissioner Govinda Reddy, the condition of the two patients – one admitted to a private hospital and other to BRIMS – is critical and eight others admitted to BRIMS are stable. 

Stating that it is not an accident-prone area, Mr. Reddy said, “Farm owners arrange transportation for labourers who are picked up from their homes in the morning and dropped back in the evening after work. Normally, three-wheelers carry the labourers.” He attributed the accident to carelessness of the drivers.

Packed three-wheelers

Tom-toms are commonly used to ferry labourers in Kalyana Karnataka region. There are several instances of overloaded three-wheelers, designed to carry goods, meeting with fatal accidents.

On Saturday, Union Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy Bhagwanth Khuba visited BRIMS and said he had discussed with Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai about compensation to be given to the families of those killed. “He has agreed to ₹5 lakh to kin of those killed. He has also assured that the government would bear the hospital expenses of the injured,” Mr. Khuba said.

Bandeppa Kashempur, MLA for Bidar South and former Minister, demanded ₹10 lakh compensation to each family of the deceased and ₹5 lakh to the injured. “All the victims are agricultural labourers from Udamanalli that falls in my Assembly constituency. They were the breadwinners of their families,” Mr. Kashempur said in a letter to the Chief Minister.