Belagavi (Karnataka), May 26 (IANS): Three members of a family, including a six-month-old infant, were killed in a horrific road accident near Raybag town in Karnataka’s Belagavi district early Tuesday morning after a goods auto allegedly driving on the wrong side rammed head-on into their motorcycle. The deceased have been identified as Mahanthesh Mane (27), his wife Sakshi Mane (23), and their infant son Samarth, all residents of Bommanal village in Raybag taluk. The family was travelling from Bommanal village to Raybag town when the speeding goods auto coming from the opposite direction crashed into their bike, throwing the couple and infant onto the road and causing severe injuries and heavy blood loss, killing all three on the spot. Another child travelling with the family sustained serious injuries and has been admitted to hospital in critical condition. The auto driver abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene immediately after the accident, with the Raybag police registering a case and launching efforts to trace the absconding driver.
The Belagavi tragedy is the latest in a series of fatal road accidents reported across Karnataka in recent weeks. Last Saturday, at least five people lost their lives after a cruiser vehicle collided with a lorry near Ladlapur in Kalaburagi district, with Superintendent of Police A. Srinivasulu visiting the accident site to inspect the circumstances of the crash. In a separate incident last month in Yadgir, seven members of the same family from Sirwar taluk in Raichur district were killed and two children injured after their car rammed into a bus, highlighting the alarming frequency of deadly road accidents across the state.