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Class 10 student driving, at 160 kmph: Joyride turns tragedy as 7 die in chain collision in Bengaluru
The accident on Bengaluru highway was so violent that the vehicle reportedly scraped along a crash barrier for 150 metres before coming to a halt.
What began as a routine Friday morning drive on the Hoskote-Dabaspete highway ended in seconds in twisted metal, shattered glass and seven lives lost. A speeding SUV, allegedly driven by a Class 10 student at nearly 160 kmph, triggered a chain collision, leaving seven dead.
The accident took place on the Hoskote-Dabaspete National Highway near Bengaluru. According to police, a car first hit a motorcycle moving ahead of it. The force of the impact caused the car to lose control and veer into a canter travelling along the same stretch.
Police sources, cited by HT, said the SUV was allegedly travelling at very high speed when it struck the bike from behind. The sudden collision destabilised the vehicle, which then swerved and crashed into the truck.
Among the seven who died, six were travelling in the car, while the seventh was a motorcyclist; all were declared dead at the scene.
In a report in the English daily The Times of India, the victims were identified as Ayan Ali, 17 (Class 10), who was behind the wheel; Ahram Sharif, 16 (Class 10); Ashvin Nayar, 17 (I PU); Eethan George, 17 (I PU); Bharath, 17 (Class 10); and Mohammed Farhan Shaik, 18 (Class 10, correspondence), all of whom were travelling in the car.
While, Gagan, 26, a warehouse supervisor was riding the motorcycle, the other six were travelling in the SUV, it added.
‘Joy ride at 160kmph’
The SUV, being driven by a Class 10 student, at 150-160 kmph, was headed towards Devanahalli from Hoskote when, near Kambalipura Gate, it rammed into the motorcycle ridden by Gagan, flinging him into the air. He died on the spot, the English daily reported.
The accident on Bengaluru highway was so violent that the vehicle scraped along a crash barrier for 150 metres before coming to a halt, the ToI report added.
The impact did not end there. “After hitting the truck, the SUV crashed into a crash barrier and scraped against it for almost 150m before coming to a halt,” the report quoted Chandrakanth MV, Superintendent of Police, Bengaluru Rural, as saying.
The truck driver, Balasubramaniam, 32, sustained injuries but survived.
Police said further investigation is underway to ascertain the full sequence of events leading to the crash.
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