A private bus going from Tumakuru to Koratagere in Karnataka met with an accident on Wednesday morning. At present 5 passengers are reported to have lost their lives and at least 40 others have sustained injuries.

Visuals of the accident show the bus collapsed on its side with some individuals trapped inside.

“The accident happened around 8.50 this morning (Wednesday). There were around 45 people onboard. There was an auto that the driver was attempting to overtake, which led to the bus losing control and toppling,” said one witness speaking to TNM.

The accident occurred around 8.50 am on Wednesday morning at Koratagere taluk’s Jetty Agrahara.

Over 30 people who were on board were shifted to a nearby hospital after sustaining severe injuries. The Tumakuru police control room confirmed that the current death toll is 5.

JC Madhu Swamy, the Minister for  Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Legislation, who is from the Chikkanayakana Halli constituency in Tumakuru District has reached the spot.

According to early reports of the incident, many of the passengers were on the way back to their homes from Deepavali holidays. As the driver was speeding and in a rush to overtake the auto, he lost control and this led to the bus collapsing on its side.

(This is a developing story)