Udupi: Car crashes into municipal drinking water plant in Manipal; students injured

Mangalore Today News Network

Udupi, July 13, 2026: Several students were injured after a car lost control and crashed into the premises of the municipal drinking water purification plant at Eshwar Nagar in Manipal late on Sunday night.

According to reports, the car was travelling from Manipal towards Athradi when the driver lost control. The vehicle veered off National Highway 169A and rammed into the municipal drinking water treatment plant compound.

The impact of the crash was severe enough to deploy the car’s airbags, helping the occupants escape with minor injuries. The passengers were reportedly teenage students who sustained head injuries. They were immediately shifted to a hospital for treatment. However, no official update on their health condition has been released so far.

Local residents alleged that accidents occur frequently at the same spot. They blamed the incomplete construction of NH-169A and the unscientific design of the road as the primary reasons for the recurring mishaps.

Residents also pointed out the absence of crash barriers, safety fencing and adequate warning signs on the stretch, saying these shortcomings have made the road accident-prone.

The drinking water treatment plant, which is privately managed and supplies water to a private hospital in Manipal under an agreement, also lacks a proper protective compound wall, locals said. They alleged that the existing compound wall was demolished during the highway expansion works and has not been rebuilt.

Due to legal hurdles, the highway widening project remains incomplete. As a result, motorists descending from the Manipal side are often misled into believing that the road continues straight ahead. Vehicles travelling at high speed frequently end up crashing into the treatment plant premises, residents said.

Locals also recalled that noted Tulu actor Bhojaraj Vamanjoor had earlier met with an accident at the same spot.

The public has urged the district administration and the National Highways Authority to immediately complete the pending works and install crash barriers, safety fencing and other necessary road safety measures to prevent further accidents.