Five killed in Karnataka car-truck collision

Bidar: Five people, including two women and boy were killed and one seriously injured in a car-truck collision near Basavakalyana town here, said police on Saturday.

“The mishap occurred in the wee hours on NH 9 when the speeding car and truck collided head-on, resulting in the instantaneous death of the victims in the car on the spot,” Basvakalyana Police Inspector Alisab said.

Basavakalyana in the state’s northern district is about 600 km from Bengaluru.

According to an eye-witness, the family was in a multi-utility vehicle to Hyderabad from Mumbai, while the cement-laden truck was on the highway to Pune in the opposite direction from Hyderabad.

The victims were identified as Mayur Savla, 32, Jeenal Savla, 30, Bharati Savla, 50, Suneel, 26, and Khayan Savla, 6.

Four of the victims were members of a family while the fifth (Suneel) was the family’s cook, who was at the car’s wheel.

“As the truck driver fled from the spot in darkness, we have formed a special team to track him. We have also summoned the truck owner for his details,” said Alisab.

A case of reckless driving against the truck driver was registered under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 279, 237 and 304 A.