6 devotees killed, 16 injured as goods rickshaw rams into tree in Karnataka

The Karnataka government has announced ₹5 lakh compensation to the kin of the deceased and free treatment to all the injured

Six persons were killed and 16 injured after an overloaded goods rickshaw they were travelling in rammed into a roadside tree near Vithal temple near Chinchanur village in Karnataka’s Ramdurg taluk in the early hours on Thursday, police said.

Five people died on the spot while one succumbed to injuries on the way to hospital. (Representative Image)

As many as 23 people including women and children from Hulakund village in Ramdurg taluk hired a goods rickshaw to Yellamma temple in Savadatti taluk and started the journey at around 12am on Thursday. As the rickshaw was full, a few people sat on the seat beside the driver, who lost control on the vehicle, which rammed into the tree at around 1am.

Hanumawwa Magadi, 25, Deepa Harijan, 31, Savita Mundas, 17, Supriya Harijan, 11, and Yallappa Bannur, 42 were succumbed on the spot while Indrawwa Siddametri, 42, died on the way to hospital. All the 16 others travelled in the vehicle were injured and they have been admitted to a government hospital at Gokak.

Belagavi Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Patil visited the spot.

Ramdurg police Inspector Pattanshetti told HT that the deceased and injured belonged to the scheduled caste (SC) community who visit Yellamma temple at Savadatti on every occasion.

Chinchanur, where the mishap occurred, is 27km from the victims’ place Hulakund. “We are checking the documents of the vehicle and whether the driver had license or not. Driver might have lost control on the vehicle due to congestion as a few were sharing his seat,” the officer said, adding that the injured and kins of the deceased may not get the insurance claim as they were travelling in the vehicle which was permitted to transport goods and not people.

Meanwhile, the government has announced ₹5 lakh compensation to the kin of the deceased and free treatment to all the injured. Belagavi district in-charge minister Govid Karjol condoled the death and said chief minister Basavaraj Bommai has also expressed his grief and announced the financial compensation, besides assuring better treatment to the injured.