Bike hits roadside barrier, plunges into 15-foot gorge on Madikeri-Mangaluru Highway

Mysore/Mysuru: Two youths from Mysuru were killed on the spot when their bike reportedly crashed into a roadside barrier and fell into a deep gorge near Sampaje on Kodagu-Dakshina Kannada border around midnight yesterday. The incident came to light when passersby discovered the bodies along with the bike and alerted the local Police this morning.

The deceased have been identified as Manoj (32), son of late Nanjappa, a resident of 1st Cross in Gandhinagar, who worked as a loan agent and Pavan (29), son of Paramesh, a resident of 6th Cross in Gandhinagar, who worked as a medical representative.

At around 11 pm yesterday, Manoj and Pavan set out for Dharmasthala on their Royal Enfield bike. As they were travelling on Koinadu Road near Sampaje around midnight, the bike struck a roadside barrier and plunged into a 15-foot-deep gorge, resulting in their immediate deaths.

The metal crash barriers were laid after Madikeri-Mangaluru Road was upgraded into a National Highway. Police said that accident might have occurred at 1.30 or 2 am and as there were hardly any vehicles on the road, the incident had not come to light.

This morning, motorists noticed a bike in gorge & upon closer inspection found the two bodies alongside the wrecked bike. They promptly notified Police. Madikeri Rural Police arrived at the scene, conducted an investigation, registered a case and shifted the bodies to Madikeri Government Hospital mortuary for post-mortem.