Bengaluru-bound KSRTC bus falls off flyover near Tirupur, 2 critical

Tirupur: A Bengaluru-bound KSRTC bus fell off a flyover at the Mangalam bypass between Tirupur and Avinashi in Tamil Nadu. At least 26 passengers, all from Kerala, sustained injuries in the accident which happened in the wee hours of Sunday. Two of them are reportedly in a critical condition.

The accident involving KSRTC’s latest Scania bus took place on Sunday at around 2 am. The Bengaluru-bound bus had left Pathanamthitta in Kerala on Saturday evening. Avinashi police inspector M Ilangovan said that the accident happened as the driver probably fell asleep.

Most passengers on the bus hailed from Pathanamthitta and Thrissur in Kerala.

Bus driver Jaison (43), Saida Beegum (43), Baby (33), Jerrin Thomas (33), Krishnanad (6), Baby (26), Sibi Mathews (35), Akhil (27), Rajeshkumar (28), Akshay (7), Pradeepkumar (43), Dhanya (22), Malavika (8), Stephen (39), Sanalkumar (44), Sebi Varghese (34) and Sunitha (32) have sustained injuries.

Sebi Varghese and driver Jaison who suffered serious head injuries have been admitted at the Kovai Medical Center and Hospital in Coimbatore. The rest of the injured are undergoing treatment at various other private hospitals in Tirupur and Coimbatore.

Some passengers who weren’t seriously injured continued their journey after seeking primary medical aid, the police added.

The bus shattered the hand railings before falling off the flyover as the driver lost control. The passengers were mostly asleep when the accident took place.

The passengers in other vehicles and the patrolling police headed by inspector Ilangovan rushed to the spot to rescue the injured. Certain sections of the bus had to be broken apart to rescue the passengers, including children, who got stuck between the seats.

The traffic on the highway got stalled for more than three hours following the accident. It could be restored completely only after 10.30 am when the bus was removed using a crane. Avinashi is nearly 12 km from Tirupur town.