Gulbarga : Sixteen people, including three children, were killed and 10 were seriously injured when an NEKRTC bus collided with a mini-truck near Kodalhangarga village, 6 km from Aland town, on Monday.

All the dead, except the mini-truck driver Kamalakar, were relatives. They had started from their village Tadwal, 25 km from Akkalkot in Maharashtra, to the Khaja Banda Nawaz Dargah for ‘Haqeeqa’ (tonsuring ceremony) of a child. According to their relatives, the victims left the village around 1.30 a.m. and had planned to reach the dargah in the early hours.

According to the police, there were only two passengers in the bus, which was on its way to Jidga in Aland taluk from Sandur, when the accident occurred.

They said that the bus driver had not rested enough for the past two days and the accident occurred while he tried to overtake another vehicle. The bus driver suffered serious injuries, and the bus conductor and the two passengers received minor injuries. While 13 persons were killed on the spot, one died on the way to the government hospital in Gulbarga and two others succumbed in the hospital.

A compensation of Rs. 1 lakh to the kin of each of the persons who died was announced. The NEKRTC released Rs. 15,000 to each family for funeral expenses. Another Rs. 35,000 will be paid to them by the NEKRTC. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced compensation from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.