Idukki: As many as four persons were killed and several others injured when a KSRTC bus plunged into a gorge near Pullupara in Idukki of Kerala on Sunday morning. The deceased, all natives of Mavelikkara, have been identified as Arun Hari, Rama Mohan, Sangeeth and Bindu Narayan. The bus was returning from a pilgrimage to the Thanjavur temple when the accident occurred at approximately 6.15 am.
According to police officials, the bus, carrying 34 passengers and three crew members, lost control on a steep and winding section of the road between Kuttikanam and Mundakkayam. Preliminary investigations revealed that the vehicle's brakes failed, causing it to crash through a road barricade and fall into a ravine, about 30 feet below. Some of the passengers were trapped beneath the wreckage.
Local residents and fire force teams quickly launched a rescue operation, pulling survivors from the wreckage. The officials said that in total, 23 people were hospitalised, with two seriously injured passengers transferred to a private hospital in Pala. Fortunately, some of the passengers escaped with only minor injuries.
The bodies of the deceased were transported to Mundakkayam Medical Trust Hospital for post-mortem. The injured are receiving treatment at nearby hospitals, including those in Mundakkayam and Kanjirappally, the officials added.
