10 women en route Goa for vacation killed in accident
In a tragic piece of news, 10 women, who were going to Goa for a vacation, and their driver, were killed in a road accident on Friday in Karnataka's Dharwad district. Six people were injured and are recuperating at KIMS Hospital in Hubballi. The deceased include Preethi Ravikumar, the daughter-in-law of a former BJP MLA Guru Siddanagouda. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences.
Truck coming from opposite direction collided with minibus
The accident occurred around 8 am when the minibus clashed with a tipper truck, coming from the opposite direction. The minibus, carrying the women, was crossing the Hubbali-Dharwad bypass at the time and found no space to maneuver, claimed reports. Ten women and the driver of the minibus died on the spot. Five remaining women and the driver of the truck were severely injured.
Locals have been demanding a wider lane
Notably, the accident site is prone to such unfortunate incidents as the 32-km-long Hubballi-Dharwad bypass is a single lane stretching between Bengaluru and Pune. "There is a long pending demand to widen the road but due to previous conditions between the road developer and the government the widening may happen only post 2023," a local resident was quoted by NIE.
Accident case has been registered, investigation underway
Dharwad Sub-urban Police Inspector Yaligar disclosed that the construction work was derailed due to some differences between the contractors and government. He added that locals had also been complaining that the lane was not being used as a one-way. "An accident case has been registered. We are still investigating the case," he added. Traffic was affected for a brief time due to the accident.
Karnataka's CM directed officials to submit a report
Taking to Twitter, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said officials have been asked to submit a report after a thorough investigation. He prayed for the quick recovery of those injured. Separately, PM Modi said he was saddened by the incident. "In this sad hour, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. I pray for a quick recovery of those injured, (sic)" he said.
