Bengaluru, Sep 13: Ten persons, including five engineering students, were killed and over 20 injured when a truck ploughed through a Ganesha immersion procession on Friday night at Mosale Hosalli on the outskirts of Hassan.
The condition of 10 of the injured is said to be critical, and they are undergoing treatment at HIMS Hospital. While the Karnataka government has announced ₹5 lakh compensation to the families of the deceased, the Union government has announced ₹2 lakh ex gratia for each of them.
The incident took place around 8.30 pm, when a speeding container truck lost control, jumped the road median, and ploughed through the crowd participating in the Ganesha idol immersion. Villagers of Mosale Hosalli and Hirehalli had joined the grand procession. The truck driver, Bhuvaneshwar, who was also injured in the accident, is now in police custody.
Police had blocked one side of the highway to facilitate the procession, converting a small stretch into a two-way road. The speeding truck first hit a scooter, and when the driver tried to avoid running over the fallen scooter, he lost control. The truck then jumped the road divider and ploughed into the crowd, killing eight people on the spot and injuring 23 others. Two later succumbed at the hospital.
Police are verifying whether Bhuvaneshwar was the regular driver or the truck’s cleaner. Before the crash, he had reportedly hit an autorickshaw near Hosalli railway gate and was speeding to escape from autorickshaw drivers. Locals alleged he was drunk, but police have not confirmed this.
According to locals, except for one boy, the rest of the engineering students were friends who had come to participate in the procession. It was the birthday of Mithun from Chitradurga, and the group had just cut a cake and joined the crowd when the tragedy struck.
Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda rushed to the spot to assess the situation, while opposition BJP and JD(S) leaders also visited. The JD(S) announced ₹1 lakh compensation for the families of the deceased and ₹25,000 for the injured.
