‘We don’t have water, but we have free beer’

Lorry carrying crates of beer topples on National Highway 4

People gathering as many unbroken beer bottles as they could at the accident spot on the national highway on Wednesday.

After a lorry carrying crates of beer toppled on National Highway 4 around 6.45 a.m. near Nandihalli on Wednesday, people thronged the highway and blocked traffic for three hours as they gathered as many unbroken beer bottles as they could.

According to the police, the lorry, heading towards Tumakuru from Bengaluru, hit a side wall, rammed into a car, and toppled onto its side.

As word spread, people from nearby villages arrived at the spot and were seen happily carting away beer bottles. Meanwhile, traffic came to a standstill, and vehicles were lined bumper-to-bumper for up to 2 km.

The police arrived at the spot and cleared the road.

Ravi of Manchakalkuppe village told The Hindu , “I have collected beer bottles which will last me for at least 15 days. When we don’t have water to drink in the drought-hit district, we are lucky to get free beer today.”

A case has been registered in Kyatsandra police station and the lorry driver has been arrested.