Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (MB)
Pics Rajesh Shetty

Mangalore, Apr 1: Three members of a family died and three others injured when a rickshaw and a fuel tanker collided in the early hours of Sunday, April 1 near Talapady on the outskirts of the city.

The mishap took place around 3 am. The family members are said to have hailed from Kunjattur in Kasaragod district of Kerala. Early reports said that they were returning home after attending  an 'Urs' ceremony in Kotekar-Uchila near Ullal on Saturday night.

The three casualites have been identified as Khadijamma (45), Mohammed Mujahim (6) and Ahmedraz (4).

The three injured, Taki (6), Shakir (13) and Azma (45) lying in a hospital in Mangalore

Taki (6), Shakir (13) and Azma (45), also of the same family, have been admitted to a hospital in Mangalore with severe injuries. The rickshaw driver Safwan, from Ullal Kotepura, is also injured and has been admitted to a private hospital in Ullal.

Many close residents who rushed to the spot at once were baffled at the gravity of the mishap, as the police reports said that the tanker was stationary and the rickshaw rammed into it. They also said that the rickshaw driver was blinded by high-beam halogen headlight of a vehicle coming from the opposite direction and therefore did not realize that there was a stationary tanker parked on the highway. After hitting the tanker, the rickshaw is said to have turned over, killing three occupants and injuring others.

When asked about the traffic violations by heavy vehicle drivers by parking them on the highway without any hazard lights or indicators, the police sources said that with such a volume of traffic on the highway, it was difficult to keep track of such parking cases all along the road.

Senior police officials have visited the spot. The Ullal police are following up the case.