Daijiworld Media Network - Beltangady (SP)
Beltangady, May 19: The accident involving a Volvo bus of the KSRTC that was moving to Mangalore from Bangalore and a stranded truck loaded with wooden logs at Udane near here in the wee hours on Monday May 18, not only accounted for loss of five lives but also resulted in injury to 18 passengers. The five passengers killed in the accident have been identified as Satishchandra (54), transport department inspector attached to Yalahanka office and a native of Attavar Kapikad, Santosh Kumar (33) from Puttur Darbetadka, Darbetadka Prabha Hegde (42), Varaprasad (27) from Reddy Foundation Hyderabad and Girish Bhat (33), a resident of Bangalore Madhav Nagar Lay Out.
13 of the injured were admitted into a hospital in Mangalore while the others were treated at Puttur hospital. KSRTC Mangalore divisional controller Karumbaiah who visited the accident site, declared that the nearest kin of the deceased would be paid a compensation of Rs 2.5 lac each while the Corporation will be meeting the treatment expenditure of all the injured. The bus driver Totaiah has been suspended and an inquiry has been ordered into the incident, he revealed.
The cleaner of the truck said, that the punctured truck was moved to the side of the road, and after supporting the truck with the help of a jack, he and the driver had slept. At around 5.30 am, they heard a huge explosion, and on coming out of their slumber, saw two bodies strewn on the road while another body was hanging. Local people rushed to the spot and with the help of a car that was passing by and also jeeps, the injured were carried to Nellyadi for first aid.
Senior motor vehicle inspector in the transport department Satishchandra (55) had booked a room in Puttur in advance, before coming here.
Monappa Poojary, an employee of Mescom Puttur, who is being treated in a private hospital in Mangalore, said he suddenly woke up as he heard a huge sound and found a log shearing through the bus. "I thought a huge tree must have fallen on the bus," he said.
District in-charge minister Krishna J Palemar visited some of the injured passengers and spoke to them. He said, prima facie, unauthorized parking by the road side of the truck was the cause of the accident. The district administration has been asked to ban parking of vehicles on both sides of the road and a recommendation has been made to the state government to pres into service a permanent highway patrol squad, he revealed.
MLA Mallika Prasad visited Uppinangady government hospital where the mortal remains of the killed passengers were kept and consoled the relatives of the deceased.