Yellapura: At least eight persons were killed and 10 others sustained injuries when the truck in which they were travelling fell into a 50-metre-deep valley near here in the wee hours of Wednesday, a police officer said.

The victims, all fruit vendors, started from Savanur and were heading towards the Yellapura fair to sell fruits. They were traveling on the Savanur – Hubballi road when the accident occurred in a forested section, the Uttara Kannada Superintendent of Police M Narayana said.

“Around 5.30 am, the truck driver in a bid to give side to another vehicle went to the extreme left and fell into an about 50 metre deep Valley,” Narayana told PTI.

He added that there was no protection wall in the road in the valley.

“Eight persons were killed on the spot and two got critical injuries. The injured have been shifted to the KIMS Hospital in Hubballi,” the officer said.