Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (SP)

Kundapur, May 20: Seven persons were grievously injured after the van in which they were travelling in fell into a 15-feet gorge by the roadside after the driver of their Tempo Traveller vehicle lost control over the vehicle. The accident occurred at Anejhari at Halkal near Kollur on Tuesday May 19 afternoon.

All the injured were initially admitted into a private hospital in the town, and later taken to Mangaluru for advanced treatment.

It is said that the vehicle driver was trying to avoid hitting a motor bike when he lost control over the vehicle. It hit the motor bike ahead, and then fell into the gorge. Injured persons, Lingappa Poojary (52), Chandravati Achary (42), both from Kudupi in Mangaluru, and five of their family members suffered injuries in this accident. Satyanarayana Ganiga and Ranjaini from Navunda near Kundapur, who were on the motor bike, also were injured.

Kollur police sub-inspector, Jayant, worked with other personnel of the police station as well as local people to shift the injured to hospital. Surprisingly, out of 15 passengers in the van, only seven including the driver were injured, whereas the others remained unscathed, in spite of the fact that the vehicle had a free fall 15 feet down.

Many locals who got involved with rescue operations felt that there is a need to lay humps on the road between Halkal and Kollur, where drivers are seen speeding, in spite of the fact that this road has many steep bends.