Bengaluru, 23 Mar 

Four people were killed and three others injured after a private bus they were travelling in allegedly crashed into a roadside railing in the early hours of Monday, police said.

The accident occurred on the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway near Puttappanadoddi in Sankalagere village near Channapatna of Bengaluru South district, police said.

Among the deceased are Mohammed Faran (22) and Sulfi (45) from Kerala's Kozhikode, Rashid (45) from Kalasipalya in Bengaluru, and Sakir (27) from Bengaluru, they said.

Preliminary findings have revealed that the driver fell asleep, leading to the accident, they added.

According to police, the accident occurred at around 4.30 am when the driver of the private bus that was en route from Calicut in Kerala to Bengaluru allegedly lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the iron railings on the left side of the road. The bus apparently continued scraping the railing for nearly 100 metres before coming to a halt.

The iron railing was installed to separate the main carriageway from the service road. The bus, which was scheduled to reach Bengaluru, was carrying 36 passengers, a senior police officer said.

Three injured people were admitted to a hospital, a senior police officer said.

Though the driver, when taken into custody for questioning, claimed that the accident occurred while he was trying to avoid an incoming vehicle, preliminary investigation has suggested that it was negligence on the part of the bus driver, he said.

After scanning the CCTV footage to ascertain the sequence of the accident, it appeared that the bus driver had allegedly fallen asleep briefly, causing the accident, the officer said.

A case has been registered in connection with the accident under section 106 (causing death by negligence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and the bus driver was arrested, police said.