Haliyal: At least 20 passengers, including the driver, were injured after a speeding KSRTC bus lost control and rammed into a roadside tree while attempting to overtake another vehicle. The accident occurred on Thursday morning near Banasageri village in Haliyal taluk of Uttara Kannada district.

According to reports, the bus was trying to overtake a vehicle when the driver noticed an oncoming car. In an attempt to avoid a head-on collision, he suddenly applied brakes but lost control of the bus, which veered off the road and crashed into a tree.

As a result of the impact, a 10-year-old student travelling in the bus got trapped between the front seats and the engine compartment. A rescue operation lasting nearly an hour was carried out to free the child, following which traffic on the road, which had come to a standstill after the accident, was restored.

The KSRTC bus, belonging to the Haliyal depot, was travelling from Kalghatgi in Hubballi to Haliyal. At the time of the accident, around 40 passengers were on board, including eight female students, two women and two school children. A total of 20 passengers sustained injuries and were immediately shifted to the government hospital in Haliyal for treatment.

The front portion of the bus was badly damaged in the collision. The trapped child was identified as Seemanth Mahantesh Kammar (10), a resident of Jogankoppa village and a student of a school in Haliyal. Rescue personnel used a gas cutter to cut open parts of the front seat and safely pull the child out. Fortunately, he escaped without serious injuries.

The bus driver sustained serious injuries in the accident. A case has been registered at the Haliyal police station, and further investigation is underway.