Madikeri: A 13-year-old boy died and four others were injured following a head-on collision between a car and a truck near Sampaje on NH-275. The accident happened when the family was returning to Mysuru after attending a religious event in Punacha near Sullia. The incident occurred early on Sunday morning near Sharada School in Goonadka.
The deceased are Tanush, 13, son of Narayana Naik, a native of Barengayi, Punacha, who is currently employed in Mysuru. Narayana Naik works at the Mysuru airport, while his wife Vinutha Shree, 40, is employed a the minor irrigation department, police said. The front portion of the truck was also damaged. Tanush died on the spot, while the injured — Narayana, Vinutha, Ratna, and Nishitha — were shifted to a hospital in Sullia by locals and police.
The occupants of the car included Narayana, Vinutha, former’s mother Ratna, 60, son Tanush, daughter Nishitha, 5). They had set off for Mysuru by car early in the morning, as Narayana Naik was due to report for duty on Sunday afternoon. The couple resides in Mysuru, while Narayana’s sister and her children live in the family’s ancestral home at Barangay. The family had travelled to Punacha to participate in local festivities, including Sharadotsav, the ‘Hosa Akki Oota’ (celebration of the new rice harvest), and ‘Agelu’ ritual. Their car collided head-on with an oncoming truck near Sharada School in Goonadka.