R B Jagadish
Daijiworld Media Network - Karkala
Karkala, Dec 22: Over 30 school children and teachers from Tumakuru sustained injuries after their bus rammed into an auto rickshaw and then hit a roadside tree at Kukkundoor here late evening on Friday December 22.
The accident took place at a curve in the road at Nelligudde between Kukkundoor and Jarkala.
The condition of two teachers and driver is said to be serious.
The students of Maramma Devara Rural High School, Chikkanahalli in Tumakuru district were on an educational tour of the coastal districts. The school had hired a private bus for the purpose. The students accompanied by their teachers had visited Murdeshwar and were on their way to Dharmasthala via Manipal-Udupi-Karkala route when the accident took place.
It is learnt that in a bid to overtake a service bus plying on the Udupi-Karkala stretch, the driver lost control of the vehicle and smashed into an oncoming auto rickshaw. The bus then went on to hit a roadside tree. The impact was such that some branches of the tree pierced right through the bus window and lodged behind the driver's seat. The auto rickshaw got flung away into a ditch while the bus was completely mangled.
Altogether 62 persons were in the bus. Among them, 30 students have been admitted to Karkala government hospital with minor injuries. Some others have been admitted to a hospital in Manipal.
Bus driver Mohsin (27) who sustained serious injuries has been taken to KMC Hospital in Manipal. Teachers Shivagangaiah (40) and R C Ramesh (54) too suffered serious injuries and have been admitted to Wenlock hospital in Mangaluru.
As news of the accident spread, people gathered in large numbers, and traffic was chocked for about 1.5 km on either side of the accident spot.
ASP Rishikesh arrived at the spot. A case has been registered.