BENGALURU: Six persons were killed on the spot when a Toyota Qualis MUV (multi-utility vehicle) in which they were travelling collided with a KSRTC bus on NH 209 near Sathanur Kemmale Gate in Kanakapura taluk at 4.45 pm on Monday. The KSRTC bus driver and 18 passengers, who were injured in the accident, were admitted to a hospital. Of the injured, 14 are women.
The driver of the MUV is said to have lost control over the vehicle and collided with the bus. The impact of the collision was such that the police had a tough time in retrieving the bodies.
Two Vidhana Soudha staffers among dead
A crane and an earth-moving vehicle were used to pull the mangled MUV. The deceased have been identified as Nagesh, a resident of Kunigal, Jyothirlingappa, owner of the MUV and resident of Anekal, Puttaraju of Mandya, Govinda and Shanta Kumar (Yeshwanthapur) from Bengaluru, and Kumar from Mandya. The bodies have been shifted to the mortuary of a private hospital.
Nagesh was an employee of a hotel at the Legislator’s Home (LH), Govinda, an employee at Alankar Plaza, Kumar, a staffer at LH laundry, Puttaraju, an autorickshaw driver, Jyothirlingappa was a section officer at Vidhana Soudha, and Shantha Kumar was a second division assistant at Vidhana Soudha. All were said to be friends.
They were returning home after visiting the Male Mahadeshwara temple in Chamarajanagar district.
According to eyewitnesses, the driver of the MUV is said to be at fault, Ravikanthe Gowda, IGP (Central Range), told TNIE.
A statement from KSRTC said the bus from Ramanagara division’s Kanakapura depot was proceeding towards Halaguru from Kanakapura. Near Kemmalme Gate, bus driver BT Nagaraj noticed the MUV being driven in a rash and negligent manner. Though Nagaraj tried to avoid the MUV, it collided with the bus.Sathanur police have registered a case.