Alappuzha: Five first-year MBBS students from TD Medical College in Vandanam were killed and 15 other bus passengers were injured after a collision between their vehicle and a KSRTC Fast Passenger bus on Monday night. The car was carrying 11 occupants and was severely overloaded.
The Regional Transport Officer (RTO) said due to heavy rain, the edge of the overloaded vehicle slipped and resulted in the accident. The deceased were identified as Devananthan (19), Sreedev Valson (19), Ayush Shaji (19), PP Mohammed Ibrahim (19), and Mohammed Abdul Jabbar (19).
The students were on their way to the cinema theatre from Vandanam when the accident occurred. One died on the spot and four died in the hospital. The accident occurred around 9.30 pm, approximately 100 metres north of Changanassery Junction in Kalarkode. Manish, the bus conductor, reported that the car picked up speed before it collided with the bus.
The impact left the car crushed beneath the bus, completely wrecking the vehicle. Passengers from other vehicles and local residents rushed to the scene, using tools to cut open the mangled car and rescue the trapped occupants.
"Due to the impact of the collision, the car was destroyed completely, and the youths inside were taken out after breaking the vehicle, The passengers in the bus sustained minor injuries, " police sources said. The car hit a KSRTC bus that was going from Guruvayur to Kayamkulam, and the car was completely damaged due to the impact. The passengers in the bus were thrown out of the bus due to the impact of the front window breaking.
