Youthful thrill ride ends in tragedy: Seven dead in Hoskote highway crash

A pre-dawn thrill ride turned fatal when seven persons, including six teenage students, lost their lives in a devastating serial accident near Sathyavara village on the Hoskote–Dabaspete National Highway on Friday.

The deceased include Gagan (26), a bike rider from Thindlu village in Devanahalli taluk, and six second PU students — Ashwin Nair (17), Ayan Ali (17), Bharat (17), Arhan Sharif (17), Ethan George (17) and Ajith Bobby (17). The students were residing in Kothanur, Bengaluru, and studying at R V College.

Police said the mishap occurred at around 4.30 am when the students were travelling in an XUV 700 car from Hoskote towards Devanahalli. The vehicle was allegedly being driven at high speed. Preliminary investigation indicates that the car first rammed into a bike travelling in the same direction. The bike rider was flung onto the road and died on the spot. The car then went out of control and crashed into a canter ahead, resulting in the instantaneous death of all six occupants in the car.

The canter driver suffered serious injuries and is undergoing treatment.

Officials said thick fog had reduced visibility along the highway stretch at the time of the accident. “While fog may have contributed, overspeeding appears to be the main reason behind the crash,” police sources stated.

The bodies have been handed over to family members after post-mortem examination. A case has been registered, and further investigation is in progress to ascertain the exact sequence of events.