Six people were killed and four injured after a speeding Mahindra Thar collided with an auto-rickshaw in Karnataka’s Chikkaballapur district on Sunday afternoon, police said.
According to police, eight passengers, all agricultural workers, and one driver, were traveling in the autorickshaw on National Highway 44 from Perisandra towards Bajipally when it was hit from behind by the speeding Thar car. The police added that the collision pushed the vehicle forward, trapping it between the vehicle and a container truck parked on the side of the road, which led to the vehicle being completely crushed.
“Preliminary investigation shows that the Thar was exceeding its speed when it crashed,” Chikkaballapura SP Kaushal Choksi said.
“The injured are being treated at Bajipally Taluk Government Hospital. A detailed investigation is being conducted and all aspects are being examined. All the victims were agricultural workers returning home after work,” the party added.
The deceased have been identified as rickshaw driver PK Anjinappa (35), N Umadevi (55), BR Vijaya (40), KN Lakshmamma (50) and R Sarugama (65). Another injured passenger, PS Arunamma (48), later died in hospital, bringing the death toll to six.
The injured, identified as R Gangadevi, NB Lakshmidevi and PK Ratnamma (aged between 40 and 50 years), were taken to Bajipally Government Hospital for treatment and are in critical condition, police said. The police added that the car driver, whose identity was not known, was also injured and was taken to the hospital.
Rescue personnel used specialized equipment to extract the victims trapped inside the mangled vehicle. Police added that traffic on the busy national highway was disrupted for some time before police cleared the damaged vehicles with cranes.
A case has been registered at Bajipally police station, and police are collecting witness statements and examining CCTV footage from nearby locations as part of the investigation, the SP said.
