Bhatkal: One person died and 18 others were injured after a private bus veered off National Highway 66 near Agsoor village in Ankola taluk of Uttara Kannada district. The accident occurred in the early hours of Monday around 3 a.m.

According to sources, the bus was travelling from Belagavi to Mangaluru when it met with the accident near Jagadish Dhaba in Agsoor. Most of the passengers were asleep at the time. The bus reportedly lost control and skidded off the road into a roadside canal.

Local residents and police personnel rushed to the scene immediately after the mishap and began rescue operations. The injured were quickly shifted to the government hospital in Ankola, while the body of a deceased passenger was later recovered from the wreckage.

The deceased has been identified as Vinayak Shinde (32), a resident of Hubballi.

Critically injured passengers have been referred to hospitals in Mangaluru for advanced treatment.

Ankola police have registered a case, and further investigation is underway.