Belthangady, Dec 23, 2022: Several passengers were injured two of them seriously after a mini bus carrying Shabarimale pilgrims from Ballary suffered a brake failure near Ullalti Katte of Mundaje and veered off the road into a forest area during the early hours of December 23, Friday.

There were a total of 21 passengers in the bus which had started from Koodligi in Ballary. The mishap occurred on a slopy road and the bus driver with great presence of mind ensured the bus veered off towards a bushy area. There was even a transformer nearby and a major mishap would have occurred had the bus rammed into the transformer.