Mounesh Vishwakarma
Daijiworld Media Network - Bantwal
Bantwal, Feb 16: In yet another accident, over 50 passengers were injured after a bus rammed into another bus at Kalpane near Benjanapadavu here on Sunday February 16.
Among the injured, four are said to be critical. A passenger identified as Mohan Singh, Gurupur-Kaikamba residents Chandrashekar and Kamalaksha and Permude resident Leelavati have sustained serious injuries, police sources said.
It is learnt that a bus carrying a wedding party, returning from BC Road towards Polali, rammed into another bus from the rear, causing the driver of the latter to lose control of the vehicle. The impact was such that the second bus rolled over.
The bus carrying the wedding party also hit an electric pole and veered off the road, falling into a roadside ditch.
The wedding party consisted of relatives of the bride. They were returning after the wedding ceremony that was held at Sparsha Kala Mandir.
The bus driver's negligence and reckless driving caused the accident, eyewitnesses said.
Sources said that altogether 54 persons were injured, including those who escaped with minor bruises. They were rushed to different hospitals, and several have been already discharged. While 12 were admitted to Bantwal government hospital, seven were in Somayaji hospital in BC Road, 19 in Father Muller Hospital, and 15 in Kankanady Father Muller hospital, police said.
The police have taken the bus driver into custody for questioning.
Bantwal town police SI Avinash, traffic SI Rama Naik and other police personnel arrived at the spot. A large crowd gathered at the accident spot causing some disruption in traffic movement.
The mishap comes just a day after a ghastly accident took the lives of nine persons in Karkala.