Four pilgrims, including a young girl, lost their lives in a tragic road accident near the Vasanthanarasapura Industrial Area in Karnataka’s Tumakuru district. The incident occurred when the vehicle carrying the pilgrims collided with a parked truck. Seven others were injured, with two in critical condition and shifted to a hospital for treatment.
The deceased were identified as six-year-old Sakshi, 30-year-old Venkateshappa, 35-year-old Marathappa, and 40-year-old Gavisiddappa. The group was returning from the Sabarimala pilgrimage in Kerala when the accident happened. Preliminary investigations revealed that there were 11 pilgrims in the vehicle at the time of the crash.
The victims, who hailed from Kukanuru in Koppal district, had embarked on their journey to Sabarimala on January 5. Among them was Sakshi, a first-grade student, visiting Sabarimala for the second time. The tragic incident occurred at around 4:40 a.m. within the jurisdiction of the Kora police station, where further investigations are ongoing.
In a similar incident on November 24, 2025, four pilgrims en route to Sabarimala lost their lives in a car accident in Kolar district. The police attributed the cause of the accident to overspeeding, leading the vehicle to crash into a flyover barrier and fall into an underpass. The impact was fatal, resulting in the immediate death of all occupants.
On November 15, 2025, three pilgrims were killed and four others critically injured in a car crash near Mangaluru city. The group was traveling for a pilgrimage when the accident occurred at the BC Road Circle on the Mangaluru-Bengaluru National Highway. Similarly, on March 1, 2025, five pilgrims heading to the Male Mahadeshwara temple lost their lives in a collision with a truck in Chamarajanagara district.
