12 Bangaloreans on pilgrimage injured in accident

BANGALORE: Three Bangalore families cut short their pilgrimage to Dharmasthala after the Tempo Traveller they were travelling in met with an accident on Saturday night. Police said 12 of the 15-member touring party were injured at 12.30am near Adichunchanagiri, Bellur Cross, Nagamangalataluk of Mandya district.
The driver of the Tempo Traveller lost control after a KSRTC bus overtook the vehicle and dangerously swerved to the left.To avoid a collision, the driver turned the Tempo Traveller to the left and then to the right, before it hit the median and turned turtle.
The families, from Vijaynagar, Ulsoor and Nagarbhavi, had left Bangalore at 10pm.
Eight of the injured, Indira (45), Mamatha (20), Pradeep (29), Latha (45), Nagaraj (55), Shruthi (26), Bhuvaneshwari (45) and Prasanna (18), were taken to Hosmat. Three others, Manjunath (59), Suvarna (38) and Renuka (50), were admitted to St Philomena's Hospital, while Kamalamma (60) and Venugopal (29) were shifted to MS Ramaiah Hospital. A three-year-old child, Yashas Kumar, was unhurt.
Hosmat representatives said while Mamatha underwent an abdominal surgery, Indira is expected to undergo an operation on Monday. Most of the patients sustained minor rib fractures, while one of them, Prasanna, was discharged immediately after he was brought in.
Sandeep, whose parents were part of the group, said: "I got a call from my aunt Suvarna about the accident. More than five of my family members were travelling in the tempo. We were extremely tense on hearing the news. Two of them have been admitted to the ICU and are expected to undergo surgery, while the others are stable."
St Philomena's Hospital representatives said Manjunath and Suvarna, who were admitted to the ICU, are recovering while MS Ramaiah Hospital said Venugopal, who sustained a hand injury, and Kamalamma are stable.