Six people died, and four were injured after a speeding Mahindra Thar rammed into an autorickshaw in Karnataka’s Chikkaballapur district on Sunday afternoon, police said.
According to the police, eight passengers, all agricultural workers, and one driver were travelling in the autorickshaw on National Highway-44 from Peresandra towards Bagepalli when the speeding Thar allegedly struck it from behind. The impact propelled the autorickshaw forward, trapping it between the Thar and a container lorry parked on the roadside, completely crushing the autorickshaw, police added.
“Preliminary probe shows the Thar was overspeeding when it crashed,” said Chikkaballapura SP Kushal Choukse.
“The injured are being treated at Bagepalli Taluk Government Hospital. A detailed inquiry is underway, and all aspects are being examined. All the victims were agricultural workers returning home after work, the SP added.”
The deceased have been identified as autorickshaw driver B K Anjinappa (35), N Umadevi (55), B R Vijaya (40), K N Lakshmamma (50) and R Sarojamma (65). Another injured passenger, B S Arunamma (48), later died in hospital, raising the death toll to six.
Police said the injured, identified as R Gangadevi, N B Lakshmidevi and B K Ratnamma (aged 40 to 50), were rushed to Bagepalli government hospital for treatment and are in critical condition. The driver of the Thar, whose identity is unknown, also sustained injuries and was admitted to the hospital, police added.
{{/usCountry}}Police said the injured, identified as R Gangadevi, N B Lakshmidevi and B K Ratnamma (aged 40 to 50), were rushed to Bagepalli government hospital for treatment and are in critical condition. The driver of the Thar, whose identity is unknown, also sustained injuries and was admitted to the hospital, police added.
{{/usCountry}}Rescue personnel used specialised equipment to extricate victims trapped inside the mangled autorickshaw. Traffic on the busy national highway was disrupted for some time before police cleared the damaged vehicles with cranes, police added.
The SP said a case has been registered at Bagepalli Police Station, and police are collecting witness statements and examining CCTV footage from nearby locations as part of the investigation.