At least 3 Ayyappa devotees were killed on the spot and 27 others sustained injuries, when a tourist bus (AP28Z3529)from the state met with an accident at Idigundi in Yellapur in Uttar Kannada district in Karnataka on Monday.
According to police, the injured have been identified as Ramesh, Ramaswamy and a driver Angi. They were residents of Valmiki Nagar, Marredpally, in Secunderabad.
All the injured have been shifted to the Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences in Hubli. Among the injured, the condition of 6 is stated to be critical.
At the time of the mishap, the bus was carrying 40 Ayyappa devotees, including 2 drivers.
The mishap occurred when the bus was heading towards Sabarimalai from Hyderabad. The bus driver lost control of his vehicle after colliding head-on with an oncoming Tata Sumo. The bus then hit another vehicle before plunging into a gorge at Arabailu on the ghat road.