Kollam: Three people, including two children, were killed in a head-on collision between a KSRTC Super Fast Passenger bus and a Thar SUV at Valiyakulangara, Ochira, on Thursday morning. The deceased were identified as Prince Thomas of Padinjattinkara, Thevalakkara, and his two children, who were travelling in the SUV, said an official from the Ochira police station.

Local residents carried out the initial rescue, and the injured were shifted to the nearby Taluk Hospital and Parabrahma Speciality Hospital. The KSRTC bus was heading towards Cherthala, while the Thar was coming from the opposite direction towards Karunagappally.

According to Ochira police, both vehicles were speeding at the time of the crash. The Thar was completely mangled in the impact. Police said the cause of the accident is unclear. The KSRTC bus reportedly had only a few passengers on board, an officer said. 

"The accident caused heavy traffic congestion on the highway, where road work is also underway. Traffic was later restored, with vehicles diverted to one side of the road," said an officer from the Ochira Police station.

“We received an alert around 6.15 am. By the time we reached, locals had already shifted some of the injured to hospitals. We rescued two more from the Thar, but they had died before we could move them,” a fire officer from the Karunagappally station said. The two vehicles were found wrecked in the middle of the road, he added.