Bangalore : At least 11 people, including five women, were killed after a mini bus in which they were travelling collided with a KSRTC bus near Hoskote  around 6:30 pm on Monday.

Besides, over 15 people were injured in the accident at Shivanapura cross under the Nandagudi police limits of Bangalore (Rural) district. A Maruti Omni van and a lorry, which were trailing the mini bus, also rammed into the vehicle as the drivers lost control. A couple travelling in the van were also injured.

N Nagaraj, Additional Superintendent of Police, Bangalore (Rural), said the bodies of the victims were shifted to Hoskote government hospital, while those injured have been admitted to MVJ Medical College Hospital near Hoskote. “The incident occurred at Karapanahalli village near Sathyavara on the Hoskote-Chintamani road,” he said.

A senior officer at the Nandagudi police station said the minibus carrying factory workers from the Pillagumpe industrial area near Nandagudi was heading towards Chinthamani.

“Some of the injured are critical and the death toll may rise,” he said.  The officer said the accident may have occurred after the mini bus driver attempted to overtake other vehicles. “The KSRTC bus was also speeding and the driver was not able to avoid the situation. Most passengers of the minibus were factory workers and villagers from Kolar and Chikkaballapur districts,” he said.

Nandagudi police said they have identified the dead as Mahadevaiah, Lokesh, Ramappa, Narayanaswamy, Kempanna, Dilshad, Radha, Pavithra and Gowramma. “A 14-year-old girl Pushpa was also among the dead,” said an official. According to the medical officer at the Hoskote Government Hospital, 10 bodies are kept in the mortuary awaiting for police permission to conduct post mortem.

The Nandagudi police have registered a case of accident. The vehicles involved in the accident have been seized. The road which connects Hoskote and Chintamani was jammed for more than an hour after the accident. The road was cleared only after 8 pm. “Three among the accident victims are in serious condition. We are yet to identify some of victims as we are waiting for their relatives,” an investigative officer said.

 DHNS