Daijiworld News Network - Mangalore (MB) - Pics Dayanand Kukkaje - Sunday, 12-30 pm IST

Mangalore, Apr 9: In a ghastly early Sunday morning collision on NH 17 at Suratkal-Hosabettu, two persons died - one on the spot and the other while being rushed to the hospital. The mishap is said to have taken place around 7-15 am.

One of the lorries was arriving from Udupi towards Mangalore and the other from Kerala to Udupi. They are said to have collided head-on killing an occupant on the spot. Another died on the way to the hospital.

The identities of the persons are not available. It is a normal practice for long-distance lorries to pick casual passengers on the way and hence it could take quite some time to ascertain their identities and antecedents, said the Suratkal police sources speaking to our correspondent. The driver of the lorry from Kerala reportedly died on spot. The condition of the lorry from Udupi was quite bad, with the police and the public struggling to extricate him from the mangled vehicle.

The traffic on the artery highway of Kanniyakumari-Mumbai was affected for quite some time. After the police arrival and removal of the dead and the injured, the road was cleared for regular traffic.