Tumkur: Four people were killed on the spot after a cruiser car rammed into a parked lorry near the Kora National Highway in the Vasant Narsapur Industrial Area of Tumkur district in the early hours of Friday. The victims were Ayyappa devotees returning from the Sabarimala pilgrimage when the tragic accident occurred.

According to sources, the accident took place around 5 am when dense fog reduced visibility on the highway, due to which the driver of the cruiser lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a stationary lorry parked along the roadside.

The cruiser was carrying 11 Ayyappa maladharis, all residents of Kukkanur town in Koppal district. Four occupants, including a seven-year-old girl, died on the spot due to the impact, while seven others sustained serious injuries and were rushed to nearby government and private hospitals for treatment.

The deceased have been identified as Sakshi (7), Marutappa (45), Venkatesh (30), and Gavisiddappa (28). The injured persons include Praveen Kumar (28), Rajappa (45), Srinivas (32), Huligappa (32), Tirupati (33), another Srinivas (32), and Rakesh (24). Hospital sources said the condition of some of the injured remains critical.

Personnel from the Kora Police Station rushed to the spot soon after receiving information and carried out rescue operations. Traffic on the highway was briefly disrupted before the damaged vehicles were cleared. The bodies of the deceased were shifted to a hospital for post-mortem examination.

A case has been registered, and further investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the accident.

The incident has triggered grief among the families of the victims and the local community, once again raising concerns over road safety during long-distance pilgrimage travel.