An elephant aged about 20 years died after it was hit by a BMTC bus on Kanakapura Road (NH 209) near Devika Rani Roerich Estate on Friday night. The accident spot is located on the road connecting Bannerghatta National Park and Savanadurga. The pachyderm was found dead just 100 metres away from the accident spot on Saturday morning.
According to sources, there were 12 passengers on the bus (No. 213 H) which was on its way to Majestic bus depot.The bus driver, Nagendra, is said to have sustained injuries to his leg and is in a state of shock. Passengers, however, escaped unhurt.
Nagendra, in his statement to the BMTC, police and forest officials, said, “The elephant came out of nowhere. I applied the brakes… but the bus still hit the elephant.” The front portion of the bus was damaged. Eyewitnesses and passengers, however, said that Nagendra was driving the bus at high speed and could not apply the brakes on time. The elephant fell on the ground due to the impact, but got up and crossed the road.
A case has been registered at Talaghatapura police station and the Forest Department has filed a case under the relevant sections of the Wildlife Act. BMTC MD Anbu Kumar said that an inquiry has been ordered.
“We got a call from locals that an elephant has been hit by a bus. By the time we reached the spot, the passengers and the driver were missing. We informed the BMTC and seized the bus. We searched all night and early in the day, we found the dead elephant 100 metres away from the accident spot. It had bruises on one side of its body. It is suspected that the animal could have died due to shock. The jumbo’s autopsy report is awaited,” a forest official said.
