Daijiworld Media Network –Bellary (SP)

Bellary, Apr 16: After a Cruiser vehicle broke the side wall of a minor bridge on the outskirts of Somasamudra village in the district on state highway 19 and plunged into a ditch on Monday April 15, nine persons died. !2 persons were injured, four of them seriously. The deceased include two women, a girl, and a boy.

The deceased have been identified as Venkatesh (35) from Kurugodu, who was driving the vehicle, M Sadashivappa (55), and lecturer Phaniprasad (45), both from Bellary, Ambamma (55) from Gudadoor, Karibasavanagouda (60) and his wife, Renukamma (50), from Jalibenchi village, Abhishek (9) from Eradoni in Gangavati taluk, Koppal district, and Shreesha (3), from Hosalli in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh. Among them, Shreesha and Phaniprasad died at the hospital, while others lost their lives on the spot.

Eyewitnesses said that the vehicle, which was coming to the town from Kurugodu in the taluk with 20 passengers, was being driven recklessly at high speed. After the driver lost control over the vehicle, the vehicle hit the roadside wall of the minor bridge, overshot it, and jumped into a seven feet deep ditch. 

Eshwaramma Neelappa from the town, Ramesh from Kurugodu, who worked as cleaner of the vehicle, Basavaraj and Maresh from H Veerapura, Nagaraj from Davangere, Mareppa from Andhra, Neelamma from Anantapura in Andhra Pradesh, Hanumappa from Hosalli, Kurnool district, and K Manjunath Reddy from Dammoor village, are being treated at VIMS Hospital here for their injuries.