Six people were killed in two separate crashes on the Bengaluru–Mangaluru highway in Karnataka on Friday, including a 23-year-old nurse who died when a goods truck rammed the motorcycle she was travelling on near Nelamangala and four people who died when a private bus collided with a timber-laden truck in Mysuru district.
Aleena Ammu, a native of Keralam who worked as a nurse at a private hospital, was riding pillion with her friend Albin, 24, when the first crash occurred near Veerananjipura in Nelamangala taluk, Bengaluru Rural, at about 12.10pm. The pair had been returning from a trek to Devarayanadurga hills in Tumakuru district, around 70km from Bengaluru.
The impact killed Aleena instantly, while Albin sustained injuries. Both had been staying at a paying guest accommodation in Indiranagar, according to the report. The crash occurred as the motorcycle was travelling along the Bengaluru–Bantwal highway, a major route connecting Bengaluru with coastal Karnataka and onward travel to Kerala.
A separate collision was reported around 3am near Kiranahalli village in Periyapatna, Mysuru district. A Kerala-bound private bus travelling from Bengaluru collided with a truck carrying timber. The dead were identified as bus driver Sunil, assistant Sugesh and passengers Aftab and Adam. Two other people were severely injured in the crash.
Police said the truck, which was travelling from the Madikeri side, took a sudden right turn to avoid a fallen tree on the highway between Kampalapura and Periyapatna. Passengers told police that it was raining at the time and that poor visibility may have contributed to the collision. The report did not specify whether the fallen tree had been cleared or whether any road-management agency had issued a warning to approaching traffic.
The two crashes also exposed the operational risks faced by road users on a corridor that carries private vehicles, buses and goods traffic through changing terrain and weather conditions. The Nelamangala section near Bengaluru serves traffic moving towards Tumakuru and coastal Karnataka, while the Mysuru district stretch includes routes used by long-distance buses and freight vehicles.
The second crash caused a major traffic disruption on the Bengaluru–Mangaluru highway. Scores of vehicles, including buses, were stranded after the collision near Kiranahalli. The available report did not provide details on the duration of the blockage, the road-clearance operation or the current condition of the injured passengers.
Police investigations into both crashes are continuing. The reported circumstances include a truck striking a motorcycle in the Nelamangala crash and a timber truck changing direction to avoid a fallen tree during rain in the Periyapatna collision. Further official details on the investigations, liability and road-clearance measures were not available in the supplied report.
