Accident just before VIP convoy movement

Mangalore, June 28: The movement of vehicles on the Bangalore-Mangalore National Highway was affected on Monday following an accident between a container lorry and a Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation bus near Narahari Betta. The accident gave anxious moments to officials as Chief Minsiter B.S. Yeddyurappa was to pass by that spot.

According to bus driver C. Ram, the container lorry was going towards Bangalore while he was coming towards Mangalore. Around 2 p.m., the speeding lorry applied brakes at a slope. This turned the bus towards left. The container hit the rear end of the bus. The container also hit an autorickshaw that was parked by the roadside. The lorry driver fled the spot, Mr. Ram said.

Blocked

This accident blocked the movement of traffic on the highway for an hour. The Chief Minister was to pass through the stretch and reach Mangalore. The Bantwal town police rushed to the spot and regulated the movement of traffic.

“We had to stop vehicles from one direction and allow traffic from the opposite direction,” said Superintendent of Police Labhu Ram. Mr. Ram said the accident did not affect the movement of Chief Minister's convoy.

Killed in accident

Two persons were killed in separate accidents that occurred on Sunday. A 45-year-old driver of Railway Mail Service was killed after the vehicle hit Kulur bridge on Sunday evening. The Panambur police said Ramakrishna (45), the RMS van driver was returning to the city after collecting mails from Baikampady. He lost control over the vehicle and hit the bridge wall. Ramakrishna died on the spot, the police said.

Mahendra, 25, was killed after the motorcycle he was riding hit another motorcycle in Lingappayya kadu near Karnadu village in Mulky police station limits.

The Mulky police said Mahendra and his friend Lalith, who was riding pillion, were coming from Mulky towards Lingappayya Kadu. Their motorcycle was hit by the motorcycle coming from the opposite direction. Mahendra and Lalith were taken to a private hospital where the former succumbed to injuries. The police are searching for the rider of the motorcycle that hit Mahendra's motorcycle.