Bengaluru–Mysuru expressway accident: 4 dead, 2 injured after private bus veers off road, hits divider railing

BENGALURU: Four people were killed after a private bus lost control and crashed into a roadside railing near Puttappanadoddi village in Channapatna taluk in the early hours of Monday. The bus, operated by PK Travels and travelling from Kozhikode in Kerala to Bengaluru, is suspected to have met with the accident due to driver drowsiness. According to preliminary reports, the driver lost control of the vehicle on the Bengaluru–Mysuru Expressway around 4.10 am, causing it to veer off the road and ram into the railing. The bus continued scraping the railing for nearly 100 metres before coming to a halt. The deceased have been identified as Rashid (45) from Kalasipalya in Bengaluru, Sakir (27) from Anepalya, and Mohammed Faran (22) and Sulfi (45), both from Kozhikode in Kerala. Two others—Abdul and Alain from Kannur in Kerala—sustained injuries and were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. Channapatna traffic police rushed to the spot, conducted an inspection, and cleared the damaged bus using a crane before initiating an investigation. A senior police officer said the railing was installed to separate the main carriageway from the service road. The bus was scheduled to reach Bengaluru by 5.10 am, and over 40 people, including the driver and support staff, were on board at the time of the accident. The bodies have been shifted to the Channapatna government hospital for post-mortem. The driver, identified as Riyaz, sustained minor injuries and is currently in police custody after receiving treatment.