TUMAKURU: In a ghastly mishap that occurred on the Bengaluru-Mangaluru NH-75 at Byaladakere Gate last midnight, thirteen persons including nine from Tamil Nadu died and three others sustained injuries when a car jumped off the divider and hit into another coming in the opposite direction.

The youths from Bengaluru were on their way to Dharmastala when their car jumped off the divider hitting the Tavera and killing the people on board who were on the return journey from the same place. "They had left home at around 10 p.m. The incident occurred at around 12 midnight. Madhusudhan was at the wheels", informed the police.

The deceased were identified as Manjunath (35), Tanuja (26), Gowramma (60), Ratnamma (52), Soundaraj (48), Rajendra (27), Sarala (32), Prashanya (14), Malasri (4) and six-month-old baby from Seekanapalli village in Tamil Nadu who were travelling in a Tavera car.

While Lakshmikant (24), Sandeepa (36) and Madhusudhan (28) from Hunasemaradapalya, Gerupalya and Ramohalli respectively of Kengeri in Bengaluru also died. The injured were shifted to the government hospital in Kunigal town.