Nine killed in cab-truck collision in Karnataka

Nine persons, including three children and as many women, died on Wednesday when a maxi cab they were travelling in collided head-on with a truck in Karnataka, police said.

The accident occurred in the Ghat section near Yellapur in Uttara Kannada district early in the day.

"The incident occurred between 8.30 and 9 a.m. when the speeding 12-seater maxi cab collided with the lorry and was badly mangled under the impact on the Arabail Ghat road," Uttara Kannada Superintendent of Police Patil Vinayak Vasanth Rao told IANS here.

Yellapur is about 80 km from Karwar on the state's west coast and 525 km from the state capital Bengaluru.

Of the 10 persons in the Xylo cab, nine died and one, who was critically injured, was rushed to a state-run hospital in Hubballi, 70km from Yellapur, for treatment.

The adult victims were in the 30-50 age group while the children were in the 5-10 age group.

"Though we registered an accident case under section 304A (causing death by negligence) of the IPC (Indian Penal Code), the truck driver was detained for questioning but not arrested, as the evidence at the spot pointed to the fault of the maxi cab driver, who also died in the mishap," said Rao.

According to the truck driver, the cab driver collided with his vehicle in a bid to overtake another vehicle ahead of him.

All the victims were members of two families from Raibagh in the adjacent Belagavi district in the state's northwest region.

"They were returning to Raibag from a pilgrimage to Dharmasthala and Kukke Subramanya temples in Dakishna Kannada district and the truck was going in the opposite direction in the Ghat section where the road is not wide," added Rao.

Vehicular traffic on the Western Ghat section on the Ankola-Gooty National Highway 63 was affected till noon when the cab wreckage was removed and towed away.

--IANS

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