Daijiworld Media Network - Madikeri (SP)

Madikeri, Dec 30: A private bus carrying students of a school on educational tour tumbled by its side on the highway opposite Santagiri Estate near Suntikoppa in Kodagu district on Saturday December 29. This accident took away the life of a student while four others suffered serious injuries.

The student who died in this accident was N U Basavaraj (16), son of Dyavanna from Genikehal, Kurugodu taluk, Ballari district. The ill-fated bus carrying 58 persons including 27 boys and 21 girls had left for tour on December 25. The bus was on its way to Madikeri after visiting Krishnaraja Sagar at Mysuru when it met with an accident near Suntikoppa in the early hours of Saturday.

Basavaraj, who had suffered critical injuries, was being taken to the district hospital here for treatment when his end came. His classmates, M Manjunath, K Raja and Muhammed Fayaz, were also injured. All of them are being treated at the district hospital here. All the students are stated to be out of danger.

Driver of the bus, Johnson alias Chintu, and assistant cook, Siddalinga, who suffered serious injuries, were admitted into a hospital at Mangaluru.

A teacher of the school, Umesh, had undertaken trip with the students along with his wife, Sumalata, and a seven-month old baby. They are safe.

Kodagu district deputy commissioner, Sreevidya, MLC, Sunil Subramani and others visited the hospital, spoke to students and teachers. The deputy commissioner asked education department officials to arrange for the journey of the concerned back to Ballari district. The students expressed the view that the driver was drunk when leaving Mysuru, and feel that he would have turned sleepy on the way, which gave rise to this accident.

A case about the accident was registered in Suntikoppa police station.