Silvester D'Souza
Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur

Kundapur, Jul 30: A speeding tanker claimed the life of a pedestrian near Tekkatte bus stand here on Saturday July 30. Three others were seriously injured.

The deceased has been identified as Annappa Poojary (53), a resident of Balibettu, Tekkatte.

Annappa was engaged in stone crushing work. As usual, he and his three co-workers were on their way to work and had stood near the bus stand. Meanwhile, a speeding tanker moving from Kundapur towards Mangaluru, in a bid to avoid hitting another tanker, veered to the extreme left and ran over the four persons who were standing nearby. The tanker also hit a 407 goods vehicle and an electric pole before smashing into the men. It then dashed into the compound wall of a garment shop before coming to a stop.

At first, no one noticed Annappa's body that had got stuck in the debris under the tanker. Sometime later, a person at the spot noticed a portion of Annappa's leg jutting out, and informed the police. The police who arrived at the spot cleared the debris and removed the body, and the locals identified it as that of Annappa Poojary.

The three who were injured have been admitted to a private hospital in Koteshwar. Their condition is said to be serious.

Kota police have registered a case.