Daijiworld Media Network – Beltangady

Beltangady, Nov 12: Six occupants of a car had a miraculous escape after the vehicle veered off the road and overturned into a nearly 15-foot-deep ditch along National Highway 73 at Nidigal in Kalmanja village in the early hours of Thursday.

Five of the six occupants sustained injuries and were shifted to a private hospital in Ujire for treatment. All the injured are said to be out of danger.

The car, belonging to people from Belagavi, was travelling along the national highway from Charmadi towards Ujire. When it reached near Nidigal, the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle. It veered towards the extreme right side of the road before plunging into a roadside ditch and overturning. The passengers sustained injuries as the car landed upside down.

Highway construction work is currently underway at the accident spot, where a deep ditch runs along the roadside. However, the installation of protective barricades to prevent vehicles from veering off the road and plunging into the ditch has not been completed in this dangerous stretch.

Local residents expressed anger over the lack of adequate safety measures, stating that such negligence was inviting accidents.

Immediately after the car plunged into the ditch, local residents rushed to the spot, rescued the injured occupants and helped shift them to the hospital.

Fortunately, all six occupants escaped a major tragedy, despite the car overturning into the deep ditch.