The driver of a Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) electric bus was killed on the spot, and 25 passengers were injured after a tyre of a pickup vehicle carrying plywood sheets burst, resulting in the plywood sheets hitting the bus and the driver.
The bus thereafter hit the road divider. The driver-cum-conductor was identified as 51-year-old Ramesh G. The incident happened near Ramanagara on Wednesday on the Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway, and the bus was heading to Bengaluru from Madikeri.
KSRTC said that three passengers, who were severely injured, were hospitalised in Bengaluru, while 22 passengers were admitted to a government hospital in Ramanagara district.
“A Bolero pickup vehicle, which was in the front, had a tyre burst leading to the plywood sheets, which were being carried in the vehicle, hitting the KSRTC electric bus, and also the driver. The bus, which went out of control, hit the divider leading to the death of the crew,” the KSRTC statement stated.
The KSRTC said that the corporation would bear the expenses of the passengers’ treatment.
Recently, senior police and NHAI officials visited the expressway and chalked out strategies to minimise accidents. The police officials proposed the installation of CCTV cameras and the deployment of police personnel to check overspeeding vehicles.
