Hassan/Bengaluru: Seven people, including the driver and conductor, died when a KSRTC Volvo bus bound for Dharmasthala plunged into a roadside stream near Shantigrama toll plaza on National Highway 75 in Hassan district early Saturday.
According to the police the bus had left Bengaluru at around 11 pm on Friday and the accident happened around 3.30 am, while the passengers were asleep. Around 24 passengers sustained injuries and they are undergoing treatment at a various hospitals in Hassan. The condition of one of them is said to be serious and has been shifted to a multispecialty hospital in Mysuru.
The deceased have been identified as Shivappa Chalavadi (45), bus driver, Lakshmana, bus conductor, passengers Diana (22), a resident of Mangaluru, Beeju George (25), a resident of Belthangady, Sonia Johnny (25), Rajesh Prabhu (35) and Gangadhar (52), a resident of Bengaluru.
The bus reportedly deviated from the highway close to Shantigrama toll plaza and plunged into a dried-up stream. Though the exact reasons for this deviation is not known, Hassan Superintendent of Police S. Rahul Kumar told Deccan Chronicle, “The accident might have occurred owing to bus driver falling asleep or it might be a case of mechanical defect.”
On getting an alert the police superintendent rushed to the spot along with his men and the police rescued the trapped bus passengers and shifted them to hospitals with the help of locals.
No defect: KSRTC
A team from KSRTC Bengaluru reached Hassan to ascertain the cause of the accident. The bus had deviated around 25 metres from the highway, a KSRTC source said. The bus belonged to Bengaluru Central depot, but KSRTC officials had no information on the mechanical defects, if any, in the ill-fated bus. "The fitness certificate of the vehicle was valid till April 12. As per the vehicle tracking and monitoring system records, it was found that speed of the bus was 59 kilometre per hour, as opposed to the permitted speed of 110 km/hr," said Latha, PRO, KSRTC. "The driver and conductor were not fatigued as they had started duty fresh at 11 pm. They were supposed to reach the destination by 5 or 6 am and take rest until 2 pm in the afternoon. The driver had an accident free record and had served the corporation for nine years," she added.
