Four people from Tamil Nadu, who were heading towards Gokarna after New Year celebrations in Goa, were killed when the car they were travelling in collided head on with a Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation bus on Sunday, January 1. One person sustained serious injuries and was admitted to the hospital. The accident occurred at Baleguli village in Ankola taluk of Karwar district on National Highway 66.

Police said that the government bus was heading from Hubballi to Gokarna when the incident took place. Four young men from the group of friends died on the spot, while one is undergoing treatment in the hospital. The deceased were identified as Arun Pandian, Vipul, Mohammad, and Shekaran, police said, adding that the bodies have been shifted to Ankola Hospital.

In another accident on New Year's Day, two pedestrians were killed in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad. A car which was heading towards Punjagutta from Jubilee Hills check post swerved sharply, hitting two pedestrians and the cars parked by the roadside. Two people who were standing in front of a tiffin centre, including a woman, were hit by the car and died on the spot.

Police said that the driver lost control and hit the pedestrians and the parked cars. Both the occupants of the cars were students of an engineering college. The accident took place hours after New Year celebrations and amid an intensive drive by the city police against drunk driving.

In another accident in Telangana, three people were killed and five injured when granite blocks fell off a truck and crushed the auto rickshaw they were travelling in. The incident occurred in Mahabubabad district when a group of auto drivers were heading to collect money for New Year celebrations. The deceased were identified as Y Srikant, B Suman and D Naveen, all in their 30s.

(With PTI and IANS inputs)