Daijiworld Media Network- Shivamogga

Shivamogga, Jul 30: In a tragic road accident near Gajanur, around 12 km from Shivamogga, two people lost their lives and nine others sustained serious injuries after a Durgamba bus collided with a stationary lorry in the early hours of Wednesday.

The deceased have been identified as bus conductor Annappa (32) and passenger Harshit (25), police sources confirmed.

The ill-fated bus was en route from Mangaluru to Challakere in Chitradurga district when the accident occurred. Preliminary police investigations suggest that the driver attempted to avoid a head-on collision with an oncoming vehicle, swerving to the left - only to crash into a lorry that had broken down and was parked on the roadside.

Annappa and Harshit died instantly at the scene, while the injured were rushed to a nearby hospital. Their condition is said to be serious.

Police have registered a case and an investigation is underway to ascertain whether the parked lorry had appropriate warning signals displayed.

The collision caused a major disruption in traffic on the busy Shivamogga-Thirthahalli road for several hours.