Daijiworld Media Network - Bantwal (SP)
Bantwal, Jul 20: In the ghastly accident involving a bullet tanker carrying LPG and Tavera vehicle carrying 12 people of Bhatkal origin on Friday afternoon, four persons had lost their lives. Another person suffered grievous injuries, six more suffered injuries of less intensity, while the driver escaped unhurt. The injured stand admitted into different hospitals here.
The person who survived with severe injuries, identified as Shivanand (40), stands admitted into A J Hospital at Mangaluru. His wife, Jyoti (30), children, Yashwin (20) and Varsha (1), and relatives, Yamuna (25), Akshay (22) and Ganesh (19) stand admitted into different hospitals.
They had undertaken pilgrimage of various temples in Dakshina Kannada and Chikkamagaluru districts on Thursday. After staying overnight at Dharmasthala, they had paid obeisance to Lord Manjunatheshwara on Friday morning and begun their return journey. They wanted to visit Pilikuka Nisargadhama before returning home.
The driver of the Tavera vehicle who saw the bullet tanker coming from the opposite direction at the fag end of the narrow bridge a little ahead of the Brahmarakootlu tollgate, applied brake all of a sudden. The vehicle tyres then skidded and the vehicle hit the tanker on the left side. It however stopped short of tumbling into the drain because of the protective wall. But for the protective wall, the vehicle would have plunged 30 feet down.
The door of the vehicle was forced open due to the impact, and bodies of two passengers fell down from it.
District superintendent of police, Laxmi Prasad, rushed to the spot and visited hospital. Assistant superintendent of police Saidul Advat, Bantwal circle inspector Nagaraj T D, sub-inspector Chandrashekhar, Bantwal tahsildar Rashmi S R and others got involved with relief operations.