HOSAPETE/KOPPAL: In a tragic road accident near the Tungabhadra Dam on the Hosapete-Koppal border in Koppal district on Friday, six persons, including a one-year-old child, were killed and 10 others sustained serious injuries after a tanker rammed into a tractor carrying devotees.
The victims were travelling in the tractor to offer prayers at the Huligemma temple when the speeding tanker hit the vehicle from behind, overturning the tractor on the roadside. The police said 16 persons were in the tractor.
The deceased were identified as Gouramma (33), Geetha (32), Mahantesh (18), Manjamma (35), Kenchappa (35) and Bharat (1). The victims hailed from Marlayanahalli in Kudligi taluk and Yashwant Nagar in Sandur taluk of Ballari district.
Tanker driver in custody
The impact left several passengers trapped under the overturned tractor, triggering panic and chaos at the accident site. Locals and police personnel rushed to the spot and shifted the injured to government hospitals in Hosapete and Koppal.
Hospital sources said two injured persons remain in critical condition. E Tukaram, MP of Undivided Ballari, visited the injured persons at the Hosapete Government Hospital.
Tukaram told the media that he spoke to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over phone on providing compensation to the victims’ families. “The chief minister agreed to provide Rs 5 lakh compensation from the CM’s Relief Fund to the families of the deceased. Assistance for the injured will also be extended from my MP fund,” he said.
Later, the government announced the compensation.
Ballari Range IGP Dr PS Harsha visited the hospital. He told the media that the tanker driver was taken into custody and a detailed investigation has been launched into the accident.The police from Vijayanagara and Koppal districts have registered a case and investigating.