7 dead, 15 injured after KSRTC bus falls off bridge in Karnataka

The incident took place in Hassan taluk when the KSRTC bus was on its way from Bengaluru to Dharmasthala.
7 dead, 15 injured after KSRTC bus falls off bridge in Karnataka
7 dead, 15 injured after KSRTC bus falls off bridge in Karnataka
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Seven people were killed and 15 injured after a bus fell off a bridge near Karekere in Hassan taluk in the early hours of Saturday. Foggy weather condition is presumed to have caused the accident.

The incident took place at around 3:00 am on National Highway 75 near Shantigrama. The KSRTC Airavata bus with registration number KA01F8513 was on its way from Bengaluru to Dharmasthala. The bus, carrying 43 passengers in total, had left Bengaluru at 11:44 pm on Friday.

The bus had just crossed a curve when it appears to have hit a barricade, following which it toppled over the bridge.

Residents were alerted on hearing the sound of the crash. They rushed to the spot and immediately called for an ambulance.

The injured are being treated in the zilla hospital. Two persons, who have been seriously injured have been taken to a private hospital.

The driver Lakshman and the conductor Shivappa Chalavadi, both of who were at the front of the vehicle, were killed. The other deceased are Diana (22) from Mangaluru, Gangadhar N (30) from Bengaluru and Bijo (25) from Belthangadi.

The body of a man and a woman are yet to be identified.

Vinay Bhat, a techie from Bengaluru who survived the accident, told The Hindu, "We were all asleep. Got up when I heard a huge sound. There was panic. Nobody knew what had happened. A few people had fallen on me. Somehow I managed to come out of the bus and called up the control room." 

Vinay was travelling with his cousin to Dharmasthala and suffered injury in his left hand.

An ex-gratia of Rs 3 lakh each to the families of the deceased has been announced by the government.

Officials probing the accident are yet to find out the cause of the accident. District Superintendent of Police Rahul Kumar Shapuravad also visited along with the senior officials visited the government hospital and also the accident spot.

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