Six Swiggy delivery partners killed in Yellapur road accident

Four others suffered grievous injuries and were rushed to a nearby hospital with the help of local residents and emergency responders.

Karwar: A pilgrimage trip turned into a tragedy after six young men, all working as part-time delivery partners for Swiggy, were killed and four others sustained serious injuries in a devastating head-on collision between a Tempo Cruiser and a lorry near Balagar in the Arabail Ghat section of Yellapur taluk in Uttara Kannada district early on Thursday. Police have registered a case and launched an investigation into the cause of the accident.

According to police, all the occupants of the Tempo Cruiser (KA-19 AA-5920) were residents of Dharwad. The group had left on Wednesday night for a pilgrimage and leisure trip to Dharmasthala and Chikkamagaluru. However, while negotiating the winding Arabail Ghat stretch near Balagar, their vehicle collided head-on with an oncoming lorry (KA-22 AA-1008). The impact was so severe that the Cruiser was completely mangled, leaving several occupants trapped inside the wreckage.

Five passengers died on the spot, while another succumbed to injuries while being shifted to hospital. The deceased have been identified as Basavaraj (48), Abhishek Eshwar (28), Akshay (26), Abhishek (26), Sanjeev alias Sanjay Angadi, and another victim who died during treatment.

Four others suffered grievous injuries and were rushed to a nearby hospital with the help of local residents and emergency responders. They have been identified as Shivaraj Durgappa Madival (22), Manjunath Ashok Chulaki (32), Sachin, and Chennabasayya Basalingayya Sampagav (28). Hospital sources said all four are undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit.

Preliminary information indicates that the victims were employed as part-time delivery executives with Swiggy and had planned the trip together after work. The accident has left their families and friends in deep shock.

Yellapur police, along with rescue personnel, rushed to the accident site immediately after receiving information. Rescue operations continued for several hours as the severely damaged vehicle had to be cut open to retrieve the victims. The bodies have been shifted for post-mortem examination before being handed over to their families.

A case has been registered at the Yellapur Police Station, and investigators are examining whether overspeeding, poor visibility, road conditions or driver negligence led to the fatal collision. The accident once again highlights the dangers of travelling through the accident-prone Arabail Ghat, especially during the monsoon season when roads become slippery and visibility is reduced.

The tragedy has cast a pall of gloom over Dharwad, where relatives gathered in grief after being informed of the deaths. Friends and colleagues described the victims as hardworking youngsters who had set out on a short pilgrimage, only for the journey to end in an unimaginable tragedy.