BELAGAVI
A trip to Goa ended in tragedy when a bus driver and 10 women were killed while six others were critically injured in a road mishap near Dharwad in Karnataka on Friday morning.
The group comprising some noted doctors and members belonging to a prestigious lady’s club from Davanagere-Karnataka were travelling to Goa on a weekend vacation.
According to Dharwad police, the accident took place at Itigatti near Dharwad at around 7 am, when the minibus transporting them collided with tipper truck that was coming from Belagavi.
Dharwad police said the women had decided to visit the residence of a friend in Dharwad for breakfast and then proceeded towards Goa via Alnavar.
“The minibus and the tipper truck collided with each other along the Hubbali-Dharwad bypass,” Dharwad Rural PI Yaligar said.
The minibus driver and 10 women in the minibus died on the spot, while the truck driver and five women have sustained serious injuries and are currently undergoing treatment at KIMS Hospital in Hubballi, the police said.
The single lane Hubbali-Dharwad 32 km bypass is part of the NH4 Pune-Bengaluru national highway and has become a dangerous stretch and road widening work has been pending for over two decades.
An accident case has been registered at Dharwad Rural police station.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the loss of lives following the road mishap in Dharwad district.
In a tweet, the Prime Minister said, "Saddened by the loss of lives due to a road accident in Karnataka’s Dharwad district. In this sad hour, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. I pray for a quick recovery of those injured."
