Couple dies as bus collides with two-wheeler at Gulem

The accident occurs on a narrow stretch of a road

Canacona/Panaji: A couple died while two others sustained injuries in a major road accident that occurred in Canacona on Tuesday.

Paik Katu Wagonkar (43) and his wife Priyanka Paik Wagonkar (37), both residents of Chapoli, died after their two-wheeler collided against an interstate bus on the National Highway 66 at Gulem.

The accident occurred near Bhumipurush temple around 8 a.m. on a narrow stretch of the highway.

According to sources, the driver of the bus, which was proceeding towards Margao, lost control over the vehicle. As a result, the bus strayed onto the wrong side of the road and collided against the oncoming two-wheeler, crushing and dragging the pillion rider Priyanka before going down the road into thick vegetation and stopping after hitting a tree.

The two-wheeler rider Paik fell on one side of the road with the impact of the collision. Priyanka died on the spot, while her husband succumbed to his injuries as he was being shifted to the Canacona health centre in a critical condition. The doctors declared him dead on arrival. Canacona police said the couple was returning home from Gulem when the accident occurred.

The police have detained the bus driver N. Nagaraza, a resident of Karnataka, after he initially fled from the accident site.

Both the bodies have been shifted to Margao mortuary, while the two injured bus passengers have been shifted to the South Goa District Hospital for medical treatment, said police.

Meanwhile, a two-wheeler rider on Tuesday succumbed to the injuries he had suffered in an accident that had occurred in Panaji on April 23.

Police said injured Narayan Chari (38) was shifted to the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC) at Bambolim. However, he died on Monday while undergoing treatment. Police said the accident had occurred on Sunday.

In this connection, the Panaji police have registered a first information report (FIR) against Anand Gudekar (18), rider of another two-wheeler that was involved in the accident.

Referring to the accident, the police said that Gudekar had dashed his scooter against Chari’s motorcycle at a junction at Boca-de-Vaca in the city. The accident had resulted in Chari sustaining injuries and he was shifted to the GMC.