One killed, 15 persons injured in RTC bus accident at Kerala-Karnataka border

Karnataka: The rescue operation was carried out jointly by the Kerala and Karnataka Fire Department officials, police, and the public.

The driver of a bus died and about 15 passengers were injured when a bus travelling from Bengaluru to Mankuttam in Kannur district of Kerala met with an accident on July 19, Monday. The driver of the Karnataka State Transport Corporation bus, with 20 passengers on board, had lost control of the vehicle and hit a tree in the early hours of the morning at the Kerala-Karnataka border.

"The incident happened around 4.45 am where the driver lost control, soon after the bus crossed Perumbadi check post, and hit a tree. The accident took place between Makkuta and Perambadi in the Kerala-Karnataka border area," Virajpet Inspector BS Sridhar said. Among the 15 injured, a few of them including the conductor were taken to Virajpet Taluk hospital, while the rest were sent to a hospital in Iritty in Kannur, according to the police.  Unfortunately, Swami, the driver of the bus, succumbed on the



way to the hospital. The passengers who were uninjured reached their destination.

As per reports, the driver lost visibility due to heavy rains and fog in the area, causing him to lose control of the vehicle. The front portion of the bus was fully destroyed in the accident. The debris was cleared by police, fire department officials and members of the public who came to help. The rescue operation was carried out jointly by the Kerala and Karnataka Fire Department officials. And two cranes were used to clean up the area.

In 2020 February, in a major accident, 19 people lost their lives in a collision between a Kerala State Road Transport Corporation bus, heading to Ernakulam from Bengaluru, and a container truck in Avinashi of Tamil Nadu. Among the deceased were the driver and conductor of the bus. Around 23 passengers were injured. The government had announced Rs 2 lakh to the families of the victims. After the incident, the Kerala government had decided to frame certain regulations for national permit lorries and trucks.