A pre-dawn joyride turned catastrophic in the early hours of Friday morning, 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, killing all six students inside the vehicle and a motorcyclist who had just finished his night shift. The horrific accident occurred on the Hoskote-Dabaspet National Highway near Kambalipura Gate between 4:15 and 4:30 a.m., leaving the SUV mangled beyond recognition.

Police investigation revealed that the six students—five minors and one 18-year-old—had left their homes around 3 a.m. without informing their families. The driver, 17-year-old Ayaan Ali, took his father’s XUV 700 and picked up his friends for what was supposed to be an early morning adventure on the highway connecting Hoskote to Devanahalli.

The tragedy unfolded when Ali, reportedly driving at speeds between 150 and 160 kilometers per hour on a road with a posted limit of 100 kmph, first struck a motorcycle from behind. The bike’s rider, 26-year-old Gagan, a supervisor at Safal Market from Devanayakanahalli, was flung into the air by the impact and died instantly. Gagan had been returning home after completing his night shift, a routine journey he made every day, leaving for work at 5 p.m. and returning around 3 a.m.

After the initial collision, the SUV driver lost control and slammed into a truck traveling ahead. The force was so severe that it ripped apart the truck’s rear axle and housing, causing the heavy vehicle to topple onto the service road. The SUV then crashed into a crash barrier and scraped against it for nearly 150 meters before finally coming to a halt.

The truck driver, 32-year-old Balasubramani, sustained injuries but survived. “The road was calm and I was moving steadily in my lane when my vehicle was hit from behind and toppled within seconds,” he told reporters from his hospital bed.

All six occupants of the SUV were found dead inside the vehicle. Police identified the victims 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 pre-university 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, who was pursuing Class 10 through a correspondence course and lived in Kammanahalli.

The crash scene grew more chaotic about 15 minutes later when a car headed toward Bengaluru airport struck the truck’s detached axle still lying on the highway. The two occupants of that vehicle suffered minor injuries.

Around 11 a.m. Friday, grief-stricken parents gathered at Hoskote Government Hospital, struggling to process the news. Most had believed their children were safely asleep at home. Police had initially informed them only that their children were seriously injured, leaving the families unprepared for the devastating truth awaiting them at the mortuary.

The tragedy carried particular poignancy for Gagan’s family. The 26-year-old was the sole breadwinner 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 discovered that despite the presence of CCTV cameras and speed radars along the highway, they were unable to immediately obtain specific footage of the crash. The multi-vehicle accident occurred on the Dabaspet-Hoskote Satellite Town Ring Road, where the posted speed limit is clearly marked at 100 kilometers per hour—nearly 60 kilometers below the SUV’s estimated speed.

The collision’s force was so extreme that the XUV 700 was reduced to a twisted heap of metal and shattered glass, making victim identification difficult for emergency responders.

Police have launched a full investigation into the incident, including whether alcohol or other substances played a role in the crash. The Dabaspet-Hoskote Satellite Town Ring Road, typically calm in the early morning hours, became the scene of one of Bengaluru’s deadliest accidents in recent memory, claiming seven young lives in a matter of seconds.