An early morning drive turned tragic before sunrise on Friday, February 13, 2026, when an SUV traveling at more than 150 kilometers per hour triggered a chain-reaction crash on the outskirts of Bengaluru, India. The collision claimed the lives of all six students inside the SUV as well as a motorcyclist returning home after work. The terrible accident occurred on the Hoskote-Dabaspet National Highway near Kambalipura Gate between 4:15 and 4:30 a.m., leaving the SUV completely destroyed.
Investigators discovered that the six students—five minors and one 18-year-old—left home around 3 a.m. without informing their families. The driver, 17-year-old Ayaan Ali, had taken his father’s XUV 700 and picked up his friends for what they believed would be an early morning highway ride between Hoskote and Devanahalli.
Police reported that the crash began when Ali, allegedly driving between 150 and 160 kmph on a road restricted to 100 kmph, struck a motorcycle from behind. The motorcyclist, 26-year-old Gagan, a supervisor at Safal Market from Devanayakanahalli, was thrown into the air and died instantly. He had been commuting home after his night shift, a routine trip he made every day.
After the initial impact, the SUV lost control and collided with a truck in front of it. The force of the crash ripped apart the truck’s rear axle and housing, causing the vehicle to overturn onto the service road. The SUV then slammed into a crash barrier and scraped along it for nearly 150 meters before coming to a stop.
The truck driver, 32-year-old Balasubramani, sustained injuries but survived. “The road was empty, and I was driving in my lane when something struck my truck from behind and it flipped almost instantly,” he recalled from his hospital bed.
All six students in the SUV were found dead. Police identified them as Ayaan Ali, 17, a Class 10 student from Kothanur; Arhaan Sharif, 16, a Class 10 student from HBR Layout; Ashwin Nair, 17, a first-year PU student from Kothanur; Ethan George, 17, also a first-year PU student from Hulimavu; Bharath, 17, a Class 10 student from Frazer Town; and Mohammed Farhan Shaik, 18, enrolled in Class 10 through correspondence and living in Kammanahalli.
The situation escalated about 15 minutes later when a car heading toward Bengaluru airport struck the truck’s detached axle, which remained on the road. The occupants of the car suffered minor injuries.
By around 11 a.m., devastated parents reached the Hoskote Government Hospital, struggling to process what had happened. Many believed their children were still asleep at home. Initially, police informed families that the students were seriously injured, leaving them unprepared for the heartbreaking truth in the mortuary.
For Gagan’s family, the tragedy was especially devastating. The 26-year-old was the main provider for his visually impaired mother and the only son after his father’s death. His uncle Devaraj told reporters, “Gagan was the pillar of our house.”
Investigators said that although CCTV cameras and speed radars are installed along the highway, they were not able to immediately obtain clear footage of the incident. The multi-vehicle accident occurred on the Dabaspet-Hoskote Satellite Town Ring Road, where the posted speed limit is 100 kilometers per hour—far lower than the SUV’s estimated speed.
The XUV 700 was crushed into a twisted wreck of metal and glass, making identification of the victims extremely difficult for first responders.
Police have begun a comprehensive investigation into the crash, including whether alcohol or substances played a role. The Dabaspet-Hoskote Satellite Town Ring Road, typically quiet in the early hours, became the site of one of Bengaluru’s most tragic accidents in recent years, ending seven young lives within moments.
