UDUPI: Five persons were killed and seven others injured after a goods vehicle carrying workers and decoration materials on NH-66 hit the median and overturned onto the service road on Sunday. The incident took place near Kottalakotte in Uliyaragoli village, which comes under Kaup police station limits.
The deceased are Kamal and Samaresh from West Bengalu, Pappu and Harish from Assam and Gapunath from Tripura.
Police said the vehicle was driven by Ranjith, an employee of a local decoration agency. The team was headed to a venue in Malpe when the driver lost control of the vehicle and it hit the median, flipped and rolled onto the service road. Three workers were seated in the cabin and nine others in the rear portion of the vehicle at the time of the mishap, sources said. Most of the victims suffered severe head injuries, which proved fatal for five of them. The survivors have been admitted to private hospitals in Udupi and are undergoing treatment in ICUs.
MLA Gurme Suresh Shetty met the injured workers at the hospitals. District In-charge Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar posted on X, “The deceased were daily-wage labourers, and may God give their families the strength to bear this loss. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured.”