Series of accidents near MM Halli leaves four dead, 20 injured

Photo: A truck carrying garlic from Delhi to Bengaluru fell from the bridge near BMM Ispat factory on National Highway 50 at Mariyamanahalli in Vijayanagara district on SundayVijayanagara: Four people were killed and 20 others were injured in a collision near the BMM Ispat factory on National Highway 50 at Mariyamanahalli around 8.30am on Sunday. The deceased were identified as H Durugappa, 55, of Thimmalapur village, Sujata, 40, her father Nagappa, 80, and her brother Kotresh, 22.Durugappa, who was travelling on a bike, and Sujata, died on the spot. Nagappa and Kotresh, who were admitted to Koppal hospital, died later in the evening. Sujata, Nagappa and Kotresh were from the same family. They were travelling to Kitnur village to see a prospective bride.Police said the accidents began after a truck carrying garlic from Delhi to Bengaluru was allegedly driven negligently. The truck first hit a bike near MSPL Cross and continued moving. It then rammeda car and a VRL truck near the entrance of a single-lane bridge at Danapur. Moments later, the truck crashed into the rear of a bus operating on the Hosapete-Chitradurga route.The force of the collision pushed the bus into an oncoming container truck, leaving more than 20 passengers injured. The truck also struck two bikes coming from the opposite direction, and one of the bikes fell several feet off the bridge.Among the injured, six were shifted to Koppal district hospital for advanced treatment, while 14 others were admitted to the Vijayanagara District Hospital in Hosapete. The accidents caused a traffic jam stretching over 3 kilometres on both sides of the highway.More than 50 police personnel were deployed to control the crowd and clear the congestion. Traffic movement was restored by around 11am. Police and fire brigade teams, assisted by a large crane from the BMM factory and other machinery, carried out a two-hour operation to remove the overturned truck and damaged vehicles. Superintendent of police S Jahnavi, additional SP Manjunath, DySP Mallesh Doddamani, CPI Vikas Lamani and other officials visited the spot.