Six people were killed and 10 injured after a truck collided with a private bus near Karnataka's Hubballi-Dharwad area. The incident occurred at around 6 am on Saturday when a truck, rammed into a private bus ferrying tourists near Koliwada Cross in Annigeri.
The deceased have been identified Vishwanath (76), Dinakar (70), Sumedha (60), Ramesh (56), Lahu (65) and Sutitra (65), who were all residents of Mumbai. The 10 injured persons have been rushed to the KIMS Hospital in Hubballi, where they are undergoing treatment.
According to the Annigeri Police, the bus belonged to Katyayini Travels, a company based in Bengaluru. The people in the bus were tourists from Mumbai, who had arrived in Karnataka last week.
"They have toured the coastal districts and were at Hubballi. They were travelling to Hampi when the accident happened. The impact of the crash resulted in the bus toppling over," the Annigeri Police said.
Upon preliminary investigation, the police believe that the truck driver's negligence resulted in the accident. "Officers have inspected the spot and prima facie, it appears to be the fault of the truck driver. We have learnt that the unidentified truck driver and one cleaner fled the spot after the accident. Fortunately, they are still alive," the police added.