Karwar
A joyful temple selfie taken by a group of friends before beginning their pilgrimage turned into a heartbreaking final memory after a horrific road accident in Yellapur claimed the lives of seven young men.
The accident occurred in the early hours of Thursday at the Arbail Ghat in Yellapur taluk of Uttara Kannada district. A cruiser vehicle carrying nine friends from Dharwad collided head-on with a truck, killing seven passengers on the spot and leaving two others injured.
The group, consisting mostly of young workers from Dharwad employed in private companies and as delivery executives, had planned a trip to Gokarna, Murudeshwar and Dharmasthala to take a break from their busy work schedules. Before starting their journey, they visited a Ganapati temple near KCD Circle in Dharwad, offered prayers and clicked a group selfie. Little did they know that the photograph would become their last memory together.
Survivor Shivraj Madival, who is undergoing treatment at KIMS Hospital in Hubballi, recalled the horrifying moments. He said the group had left Dharwad around 11 pm and he was asleep in his seat when the collision occurred.
“Suddenly there was a loud crash. When I opened my eyes, everything was over. Only Channabasayya and I survived. We watched our friends die in front of our eyes,” he said emotionally.
Truck driver Samsheer said the cruiser was coming at high speed while climbing the Arbail Ghat. He claimed that despite trying to avoid the collision, the cruiser lost control and crashed into the truck, causing severe damage to the vehicle.
The deceased have been identified as Sanjay Angadi (33), Abhishek Eshwar (28), Abhishek Madabavi (26), Basavaraj (48), Akshay (26), Manjunath Chulaki (32) and Sachin (28).
Uttara Kannada Deputy Commissioner Lakshmi Priya, Superintendent of Police Deepan and other officials visited the accident site. Local MLA Shivaram Hebbar visited Yellapur Hospital and consoled the bereaved families. A case has been registered at Yellapur Police Station, and the injured are receiving treatment at KIMS Hospital, Hubballi.
