Hubballi: The death toll in the horrific road accident involving a private bus in Hiriyur taluk of Chitradurga district has risen to seven, following the death of the bus driver who succumbed to his injuries during treatment.
It may be recalled that the accident occurred near Gorlattu village in the early hours of Thursday at around 2 am. A Seabird Travels executive sleeper bus travelling from Bengaluru to Gokarna was hit head-on by a speeding container lorry that jumped the divider and entered the wrong lane. Following the impact, the bus caught fire and was completely gutted.
The bus driver, Mohammed Rafiq (42), a resident of Shiggavi in Haveri district, sustained severe burn injuries in the accident. He was initially taken to Hiriyur Hospital, later shifted to Chitradurga, and subsequently referred to KIMS Hospital in Hubballi for advanced treatment. However, he succumbed to his injuries during treatment in the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, taking the total number of fatalities in the tragedy to seven.
Earlier, the deceased were identified as Bindu V, her four-and-a-half-year-old daughter Greya, Manasa, Navya, Rashmi, and the container lorry driver Kuldeep Yadav.
Treatment of the Injured Continues:
Treatment of the other injured passengers is ongoing. Manjunath, Devika and Keerthan are undergoing treatment in the burn ward of Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru. Doctors said that Manjunath’s condition is critical and he is being treated in the ICU, while Devika and Keerthan are likely to be discharged soon.
Police stated that overspeeding and negligence on the part of the container lorry driver was the primary cause of the accident.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced an ex gratia compensation of ₹5 lakh each to the families of the deceased, while the Central Government announced a compensation of ₹2 lakh.
Earlier report related to the same accident:
Chitradurga bus accident: Young woman from Bhatkal among six killed
9 charred to death as private bus catches fire after collision in Chitradurga