Bengaluru: Two people were killed and 26 others injured after a private passenger bus veered off the highway and fell into a roadside drain near Aymangala in Hiriyur taluk of Karnataka’s Chitradurga district in the early hours of Friday.

The deceased have been identified as the driver and cleaner of the bus, who died on the spot in the impact.

The bus was carrying passengers, including a group of Malayali nursing students. Among those injured, 19 are Malayali female nursing students. None of the students suffered serious injuries, according to initial information.

The accident occurred along the national highway near Aymangala when the driver reportedly lost control of the bus. The vehicle swerved off the road, skidded and overturned into a deep roadside drain.

Local residents, police and highway patrol personnel rushed to the spot after receiving information about the accident. Rescue teams recovered the bodies of the driver and cleaner from the damaged front portion of the bus.

The injured passengers were shifted to government and private hospitals in Hiriyur and Chitradurga for treatment. While some passengers sustained serious injuries, most of the injured are reportedly in stable condition.

Police have begun an investigation into the accident. Speeding and driver fatigue are among the possibilities being examined, though the exact cause of the crash is yet to be established.

Traffic on the highway was temporarily affected following the accident and was restored after the overturned bus was removed from the drain.