Death toll rises to 9 after truck rams into Ganesha procession in Karnataka’s Hassan

Three more people injured after a truck plowed into a crowd of devotees during Ganesh immersion procession in Hassan district on Friday evening have died during treatment

Bengaluru: Three more people who were injured after a truck lost control and plowed into a crowd of devotees during a Ganesh immersion procession in Karnataka’s Hassan district on Friday evening have died during treatment, raising the death toll from six to nine, police said.

The police officers said that around 17 others remain hospitalised. (Representative photo)

The police officers said that around 17 others remain hospitalised. “Nine people have died in this accident. Of them, six are locals, while three are students from Chikkamagaluru, Bellary, and Chitradurga. Seventeen others are being treated in hospitals,” southern range inspector-general of police (IGP) Boralingaiah said.

Preliminary findings suggest the truck, travelling from Hassan toward Holenarasipur, first hit a motorcycle and a barricade before ramming into the procession on National Highway 373 near the Mosale Hosahalli village. “The canter driver first hit a bike and a barricade before plowing into the crowd,” Boralingaiah said.

Boralingaiah added that legal proceedings have been initiated against the driver of the truck, who was also injured and is under medical care.

Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah expressed sorrow, promising ₹5 lakh in compensation to families of the deceased and full medical support for the injured. “I am deeply saddened to hear the news that a lorry ran over people taking part in a procession for Ganesh immersion in Hassan, killing many and injuring more than 20 others,” he posted on X.

Most victims were young men in their teens and twenties, including engineering students who had joined the annual immersion near the Government Engineering College in Mosale Hosahalli. “The accident occurred around 8 PM. Most of those injured are students. We are investigating the driver and his condition at the time of the accident. Forensic teams are reconstructing the events with eyewitness accounts,” Hassan superintendent of police (SP) Mohammad Sujatha said.

The deceased were identified as Praveen, a final-year BE student from Bellary; Rajesh (17) from Halekote village in Holenarasipur; Eeshwar (17) from Koppalu in Danayakanahalli; Gokul (17) from Muttigehiralli village; Kumar (25) and Praveen (25) from Kabbinahalli; Mithun (23) from Gavi Gangapura village in Chitradurga district; Suresh (19) from Manenahalli in Chikkamagaluru district; and Prabhakar (55) from Bantarahalli village in Hassan.

“We were dancing to the beats of the DJ when suddenly people screamed that a truck was coming towards us. Before we could react, it had overturned. There was blood everywhere,” Ravi, a villager who helped transport the injured, said.

Meanwhile, former minister and MLA H.D. Revanna, who visited the site, alleged administrative lapses. “This tragedy is the result of complete negligence by the police department. Barricades should have been set up well in advance to regulate traffic. Shockingly, there was no police presence when the procession was happening,” he said, demanding at least ₹15 lakh in compensation for each family.