Four persons have been killed and another six persons have been left injured in a road accident in Karnataka’s Ballari district on Thursday. A 10-year-old boy is among the deceased. The accident took place around 11.30 am in Hospet taluk’s Haravanahalli village on the National Highway 50. “A government and private vehicle collided with each other head-on, leading to the death of three persons on the spot. Another victim succumbed to the injuries while he was being rushed to the hospital,” said Superintendent of Police in Ballari district Saidulu Adavath. 

“One of the tyres of the private vehicle burst, due to which, the driver lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle then jumped the median and collided with the government car,” he told The News Minute. The SP added that all six injured are being treated in Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences and are in stable condition.

He said there were seven persons in the private vehicle who were travelling from Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh to Kushtigi in Koppal district. The government vehicle, carrying two government officials, was travelling towards Bengaluru from Almatti in the state. 

The deceased have been identified as Ramaswamy (50), a director-level official with the Central Water Commission, Jayanth, a deputy director of the same organisation, 35-year-old Kavya and a 10-year-old boy.

The police have ruled out any foul play or driving under the influence of alcohol. Both drivers have received grievous injuries. 

Road accidents and related fatalities have been on the rise in India on a year-on-year basis. This comes after on Sunday when 11 persons died in two separate road accidents in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.