Belagavi, 15 Nov (H.S.):

Three members of a family, including a four-year-old child, were killed and three others seriously injured when their car collided with a lorry near Maladinni Cross in Gokak taluk of Karnataka’s Belagavi district on Sunday, police said.

The family was travelling from Pune in Maharashtra to the renowned Saundatti Yellamma temple when the accident occurred. The lorry involved in the collision was heading towards Gokak from Yaragatti, according to police.

The deceased were identified as Omkar Chandrashekhar Mandre, 26, Reshma Mandre, 32, and four-year-old Devansh Mandre. All three died at the scene. The impact of the collision was so severe that the car was completely wrecked.

Three other occupants of the car—Shrikant Mandre, Vandana Mandre and Harshada Mandre—sustained serious injuries. They were immediately taken to a nearby hospital, where they are undergoing treatment.

The accident brought the family’s pilgrimage to a tragic end before they could reach the temple. Of the six people travelling in the car, three lost their lives, while the remaining three were hospitalised with serious injuries.

Personnel from the Gokak Rural police station visited the accident site and conducted an inspection. Police have registered a case and launched an investigation to establish the circumstances that led to the collision.

While police provided details of the routes taken by the two vehicles, the precise cause of the accident remains under investigation. The available account does not establish how the vehicles came into collision near Maladinni Cross.

The investigation will seek to determine the sequence of events leading up to the crash and establish responsibility. Further details about the accident and the condition of the injured were awaited.

The deaths of two adults and a young child have left the Mandre family facing a devastating loss, with three relatives still receiving hospital care.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman