Daijiworld Media Network - Karkala (MS)

Updated

Karkala, Feb 16: More details have emerged about the ghastly bus accident at Mulnoor near here, in which nine people from Mysuru died and many were injured. It is alleged that the driver of the mini bus failed to turn the steering wheel of the bus at the bend on the road, because of which the bus collided directly into the boulder. It is said that the driver did not reduce the speed as he was not aware of the boulder till the last moment.

Lucky escape for scooter rider

A man who was riding his two-wheeler on the same route lost consciousness and fell on the road as he saw the bus coming towards him. He was lucky, as the bus hit the boulder and stopped without moving further on the road. But the rider, shocked by the incident, was lying on the road for sometime. Only after other passersby splashed water on him did he recover and left the spot.

Drivers' bodies pulled out using rope

Giving details of the horrible crash, Sumeeth, a gram panchayat member of Nallur said, "The bus was completely smashed. We had a tough time getting the passengers out of the bus. We could not bring the bodies of the driver as well as the co-driver, who was sitting behind him. Ultimately we tied rope to their bodies and pulled them out of the bus."

Sumeeth also said that when he received news of the accident, he rushed to the spot and took three people to hospital in his vehicle.

Bus slides for 20 meters even after crash

Though the bus hit the roadside boulder, it did not stop there itself but went to a distance of around 20 meters along the side of the boulder. This was because of the speed at which the bus was travelling. The people who lost their lives are the ones who were seated on the seats behind the bus driver.

Earlier Report

Ghastly accident at Karkala: At least nine dead, many injured as tourist mini bus hits boulder

Daijiworld Media Network - Karkala

Karkala, Feb 15: In a ghastly accident, at least nine persons died and several were injured after a tourist mini bus rammed into a boulder at Mulnoor here late evening on Saturday February 15.

The deceased passengers have been identified as Radha Ravi, Yogendra, Preetham Gowda, Basavaraju, Anagna, Sharul and Ranjitha. Driver Umesh and the cleaner of the bus, whose name is not yet known, also died.

The tourist mini bus hired by a private company was plying from Mysuru. The company had arranged the tour to Udupi, sources said.

When the bus reached Mulnoor on Udupi-Chikkamagaluru ghat, the driver lost control and crashed into a boulder. The impact was such that seven passengers died on the spot. 

It was initially reported that 11 had died, however, Udupi SP Vishnuvardhan informed that at least nine were confirmed dead.

Over 20 persons have been injured. Altogether, there were 35 passengers in the bus.

The deceased passengers were employees of Century Vital Records Pvt Ltd based in Mysuru. 

Among the injured, eight have been shifted to Manipal hospital, and others to City hospital in Karkala. At least four of the injured passengers are said to be serious.

Sources said that the bus had faced some technical snag and had been repaired at a garage in Kalasa.