Bhatkal: The two youths who lost their lives in a tragic road accident late Saturday night were laid to rest on Sunday afternoon at the old graveyard in Bhatkal. Hundreds of people from across the town gathered at the Jamia Masjid to offer funeral prayers, as grief and shock enveloped the locality following the devastating incident.
The deceased have been identified as 15-year-old Bilal Ruknuddin, an SSLC student studying at a private school in Shiroor, and his cousin 19-year-old Ayan Akrami, a second-year BCA student at a private college in Mangaluru. It is learnt that Ayan had come to Bhatkal from Mangaluru during his semester vacation in the first week of December and was scheduled to return to Mangaluru on Sunday evening to attend classes beginning on Monday. However, fate had other plans.
According to sources, Ayan Akrami had taken his cousin Bilal Ruknuddin along to drop a relative at Tenginagundi Cross. While returning, they reportedly headed towards Shirali for tea, a place frequently visited by youngsters late at night. However, the outing ended in tragedy on their way back home.
Reports indicate that after crossing the Venkatapur bridge, as the car approached Hanifabad Cross on National Highway 66, it went out of control and veered off the road, crashing at high speed into an electric pole along the roadside. A preliminary inspection of the accident spot revealed that barricades had already been installed on the right side of the highway at Hanifabad Cross to slow down vehicles, while construction work was underway on the left side of the road a short distance ahead. Moreover, the absence of street lighting had left the entire stretch of the highway engulfed in darkness.
Considering these conditions, it is suspected that Ayan, who was driving at high speed, panicked upon suddenly noticing the barricades after crossing the bridge. In an attempt to avoid a collision, he swerved the car to the left, but due to excessive speed, the vehicle skidded off the road, mounted a stone, lost balance, and rammed straight into the electric pole.
Local police stated that a mechanic present nearby at the time of the accident was an eyewitness. He informed the police that the car was moving at a very high speed and that the driver attempted to apply sudden brakes near Hanifabad Cross. However, the vehicle bounced and crashed directly into the electric pole. Police officials said the severity of the impact and the manner in which a strong iron rod of the pole was badly bent suggest that the car was travelling at a very high speed, possibly exceeding 120 kmph.
After the accident, eyewitnesses said that neither of the youths travelling in the car was wearing a seat belt, and that adherence to basic safety measures could have reduced the impact of the collision. They urged people to strictly follow traffic rules and use safety equipment to help prevent such tragic incidents in the future.
Following the accident, the bodies of both youths were sent for post-mortem examination. After completion of legal formalities, the bodies were handed over to the families on Sunday morning. Funeral prayers were offered after Zohar prayers at Jamia Masjid, where relatives, friends and hundreds of residents gathered to pay their last respects before the youths were laid to rest amid scenes of grief and mourning.
The tragic incident has not only left two families shattered but has plunged the entire town into sorrow. Once again, the accident has sparked public debate over incomplete National Highway four-laning works, poorly lit roads and the lack of effective speed-control measures, with residents questioning the silence and inaction of the authorities despite repeated fatal accidents on the stretch.
Video: Last rites of two accident victims at Bhatkal Jamia Masjid