Tumakuru: Three people were killed and two others sustained serious injuries after a private bus and a car collided head-on near Beladhara Gate in Tumakuru district on Saturday evening.
According to sources, the private bus was heading towards Pavagada from Tumakuru when it collided with a car coming from the opposite direction. The impact was so intense that the car was completely crushed, resulting in the instant death of three occupants.
The deceased have been identified as Shivakumar (28) and Govindappa (60), both residents of Kattinagenahalli village, and Shivashankar (28) of Baichapur. The injured include Venugopal (28) from Kattinagenahalli, who has been admitted to Tumakuru Hospital, and Shankar (28) from Reddihalli, who has been shifted to a hospital in Bengaluru for advanced treatment.
Police said all the victims hailed from different villages of Koratagere taluk and were on their way to the religious town of Dharmasthala in Dakshina Kannada district when the accident occurred en route.
The bodies have been shifted to Tumakuru District Hospital for post-mortem examination.
A case has been registered at Tumakuru Rural Police Station, and further investigation is underway.