Six people, all of them friends, died while three others got injured, on Thursday after their Tempo Cruiser collided head on with a lorry in Karnataka’s Uttara Kannada district, police said.
The collision occurred near Balagar in the Arabail Ghat section as the group travelled towards Dharmasthala and Chikkamagaluru. The impact crushed the Tempo Cruiser, leaving rescue teams to use heavy equipment to free those trapped inside.
Speaking to HT, Uttara Kannada superintendent of police (SP) MN Deepan said, “A Tempo Cruiser travelling from Yellapur towards Ankola collided head on with an oncoming lorry, killing six occupants of the vehicle and leaving three others seriously injured. All the deceased were residents of Dharwad.”
Also Read: Mohali: Bike stolen after accident as Kharar cops ‘fail to act’
The victims were identified as driver Sanjay Angadi, 48, Basavaraj Kanakammanavar, 48, Abhishek Eshwar, 28, Akshay, 26, Abhishek, 26, and Manjunath Chulaki, 33.
Deepan added, “The injured Shivaraj Madivalar, 22, Naveen, 24, and Channappa Kalaghatagi, 28, were shifted to a private hospital in Hubballi for treatment.”
According to preliminary information, the friends had left Dharwad on Wednesday night after work for a pilgrimage and leisure trip.
Police said the bodies were extracted from the mangled vehicle before the bodies were sent for post mortem examination.
Police have registered a case and are investigating the cause of the crash. Officers are examining whether speeding, driver error, poor visibility or slippery roads due to monsoon rains contributed to the collision.
