A pickup vehicle hit an electric pole near Sasaluhalla in Holalkere taluk on January 6 evening, killing four people and injuring four. The dead were identified as Giriraj (42), Kiran (30), Arun (32), and Hanumantha (48). Giriraj and Kiran died at a hospital in Holalkere, and Arun and Hanumantha died at the government hospital in Davangere. Police said Giriraj, the driver and owner, lost control on State Highway 47 between Andanuru and Sasaluhalla while returning workers from an areca harvest.