Ambulance driver, cops in shock over Haveri accident

HAVERI: In a major tragedy that hit Haveri district early Friday morning, 13 people died on the spot after the Tempo Traveller in which they were travelling rammed a parked lorry. The incident took place at Gundenahalli village NH48 in Byadagi taluk of Haveri district.

The scene of the incident, the bodies and the injured was such that some police, ambulance, and fire and emergency staff went into a state of shock for sometime.

Tousif Pathan, driver of Ambulance 108 of a government hospital received a call from the police asking him to visit the accident spot near Byadagi. “When I reached the spot, we thought it was a small accident. But when we opened the door of the tempo, the scene was horrifying. The injured who were stuck in the vehicle were crying for help. For a moment, my mind went blank. I started pulling out the bodies and the injured passengers. We took six of the injured to the hospital, of whom two died on the way. In my six years of service as an ambulance driver, this is the most horrific accident I have witnessed,” he said.

“Our staff, fire and emergency and police personnel had to break open the rear door and dismantle seats to reach out to the injured passengers. The entire vehicle had blood stains and two little girls were still alive when we opened the door. Both of them died in front of their mother who is being treated at a hospital. Many senior officials broke down while shifting the injured and the bodies,” Pathan said.