MANDYA: Five members of a family, including two children, died when their autorickshaw and a tipper collided head-on in
Malavalli taluk
of Mandya district on Friday.
Police said the accident occurred near
Nelamakanahalli
Gate and identified the deceased as Muttamma, 45, president of Bandura gram panchayat; daughter Basammanni, 30; son Venkatesh, 25; and Basammanni’s children
Chamundeshwari
, 8, and a two-year-old son.
According to police, the victims were returning to Bandur in Malavalli taluk after visiting a temple when the accident occurred. The tipper was heading towards Maddur from Malavalli.
The three-wheeler was left mangled in the accident and passersby struggled to pull the victims from the vehicle. The accident disrupted the traffic on the Maddur-Malavalli road for some time.
Police said it appeared to be a case of rash driving by both the drivers and added that an investigation will find out if the cause was human error or mechanical glitch.