Found myself stuck amid bodies and mangles after gaining consciousness, says Dharwad mishap survivor

HUBBALLI: "I was asleep in the last seat when the accident happened. I became unconscious for some time and when I woke up there were bodies and mangles. I tried calling for help but in vain till police and highway patrol came for help," recalled Asha Jagadish Betur (40), who escaped the accident with a fractured hand.

She was traveling in the ill-fated tempo along with 16 others and two drivers when the accident occurred on the Hubballi-Dharwad bypass highway near Ittigatti on Friday morning. Eight persons including the drivers died on the spot and three others died at a hospital.

"When I woke up, I had my mobile phone. I telephoned my cousin in Dharwad who was waiting for us to meet at the breakfast. She responded and her friends rushed for the help. It was a big task for the police to reach till me and others who had survived after which I was taken to Dharwad district hospital," she narrated.

"Most of us were known to each other in school and recently got in touch through social media. We used to go for day long trips and used to meet for lunch in Davanagere. This time we had booked a resort in Goa and we were about to stop for breakfast in Dharwad when the accident happened," she said.

Asha will be shifted to Davanagere on Friday for further treatment. "The doctors have assured that she is out of danger. She has few fractures and we shall admit her at a hospital in Davanagere," said one of her relatives.