Bengaluru, Jan 22 At least 14 people, including three students, were killed and 25 others injured in two separate incidents in Karnataka's Karwar and Raichur districts on Wednesday.
At least 10 people were killed on the spot and 15 others injured when a truck carrying them and vegetables overturned on the National Highway 63 near the Gullapura Ghatta region in Yellapura taluk of Karwar district.
The injured have been admitted to the Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) in Hubballi.
One of the injured told the police that he heard the sound of a tyre burst, and immediately afterwards, the truck overturned.
The deceased were residents of Savanur village in the Haveri district. All of them were vegetable vendors who travelled weekly to the village market. When the truck overturned, all the vegetables loaded on the vehicle fell on them.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the driver lost control of the vehicle due to misty conditions early in the morning, causing the accident.
The jurisdictional Yellapura police rushed to the spot and transported the injured to the hospital.
Cranes were used to pull out the bodies.
Karwar SP Narayana M also visited the spot and monitored the proceedings.
The deceased were identified as 45-year-old Fayaz Jamakhandi, 35-year-old Wasim Mudageri, 20-year-old Ejaz Mulla, 30-year-old Sadiq Basha, 40-year-old Ghulam Hussain Javali, 36-year-old Imtiyaz Mulakeri, 25-year-old Alfaz Jaffer Mandakki, 25-year-old Jilani Abdul Jakhati, and 24-year-old Aslam Babuli Benni.
In another incident, four people, including three students, died on the spot after the vehicle they were travelling in overturned at Araginamara Camp near Sindhanur town in Raichur district.
According to the police, the incident occurred after one of the vehicle's tyres burst. Ten people were injured in the accident. The deceased were identified as 24-year-old Shiva, the driver of the vehicle, 18-year-old Ayyavandan, 22-year-old Sujendra, and 20-year-old Abhishek. All three students were from the Sanskrit Pathshala in Mantralaya.
The injured were shifted to Sindhanur Taluk Hospital. The Sindhanur traffic police have registered a complaint and are investigating the case. The students were travelling from Mantralaya to Hampi to participate in the Narahari worship event.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has expressed shock and offered condolences to the deceased.
"I am deeply saddened to hear about the two separate accidents that occurred in Yellapur of Uttara Kannada district and Sindhanur of Raichur district, claiming a total of 14 lives. I pray for eternal peace for the departed souls," CM Siddaramaiah said.
"Appropriate compensation will be provided to the families of the deceased by the government," he said.
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