7 die, 5 injured in Karnataka road accident

Chikkaballapur (Karnataka), Sep 12 (IANS) At least seven people were killed and five others seriously injured as an overloaded jeep collided head-on with a truck in Karnataka's Chikkaballapur district on Sunday, police said.The jeep, which allegedly had 15 people aboard, was moving towards Chintamani taluk from Rayalpadu in Srinivasapura taluk, when hit by the cement-laden truck, whose driver had lost control.While six people died on the spot, another succumbed to injuries on the way to the hospital. JD-S MLA M Krishna Reddy rushed to the spot and held RTO officers responsible for the incident by allowing to jeeps in the area to carry excess passengers. "According to eye witnesses, as many as 15 people were travelling in the jeep. None of the RTO officers are available. I have instructed police to look into the issue. Who gave permission for the jeep to carry 15 passengers," he asked.
--IANS mka/vd