HUBBALLI: In yet another tragic accident on the Hubballi-Dharwad bypass NH-48, eight people were killed and 26 others suffered injuries when a private bus collided head-on with a truck on Monday night. While six people were killed on the spot, two more died at KIMS Hospital.
The accident took place when the bus, heading to Bengaluru from Ichalkaranji in Kolhapur in Maharashtra, was trying to overtake a tractor and rammed the truck that was on its way to Dharwad from Hubballi.
The deceased are Nagaraj B, 65, of Bengaluru, Babusa Chougule, 59, of Kolhapur, Atul Khan, 50, of Nagamangala, Mohammed Dayal Baig, 16, of Mysuru, Akshay Chakati, 30, of Ahmednagar, Aqeef Ayub, 24, Mohammed Aksan Khadirkhan, 24, and Mastan, 40, of Biswan in UP.
Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia for kin of deceased: PM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) to the next of kin of those who lost their lives and Rs 50,000 each to the injured. In a tweet, the Prime Minister said, “Pained by the loss of lives due to a mishap in Hubballi. My thoughts are with the bereaved families.
May the injured recover soon”. Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) staff visited the spot along with ambulances. All injured were admitted to KIMS Hospital. KIMS Director Dr Ramalingappa Antartani said, “About 15 patients who suffered spinal cord, leg and other injuries have now been shifted to various hospitals in Kolhapur and Pune.
This has been done against our medical advisory as some of the injured were not in a condition to move. However, other patients are being treated here at KIMS,” he said. After the accident, traffic movement on the bypass road was affected for more than an hour. Police cleared the mangled remains of the vehicles using heavy machinery. Additional Director General of Police (Road Safety) R Hitendra and Hubballi-Dharwad Police Commissioner Labhu Ram visited the spot.
Four days ago (May 21), nine people were killed in an accident near Bada village of Dharwad taluk when a speeding Tempo-T rax turned turtle after crashing into a tree. Seven people were killed on the spot and two had died in KIMS Hospital. Several people were injured. Activists have have been demanding that widening of the Hubballi-Dharwad bypass road should be taken up at the earliest as it is the only stretch on the entire National Highway-48 that has only two lanes. The two-lane stretch has been causing frequent accidents.