Kochi: A major road accident occurred at Kuzhivelippady on the Pookattupady-Edappally road in Kochi on Thursday morning, involving a college bus and a private bus. The collision, which took place around 9 am, left at least five people, mostly students, injured and caused significant traffic disruption in the area.

The accident involved a bus from Jai Bharath College of Management and Engineering Technology, Aluva and a private bus named Rayyan, which was operating on the Aluva-Perumbavoor route. The two vehicles collided head-on near a sharp bend near Kuzhivelippady, resulting in a scene of chaos as the front portions of both vehicles were severely mangled.

Local residents and the police immediately launched efforts to help those trapped in the buses. While four students from Jai Bharath College were found to have sustained only minor injuries, the driver of the college bus suffered serious injuries when his legs became pinned inside the crushed driver's cabin.

It took more than 30 minutes of coordinated effort from bystanders and emergency workers to extricate him. It is learnt that he sustained multiple fractures in his leg.  All injured persons were shifted to three different hospitals in the locality for urgent medical care.

The Edathala Police have initiated a formal probe into the crash. Preliminary statements from the scene suggest that the college bus may have lost control while attempting to evade a scooter that suddenly entered its path, leading it to ram into the oncoming private bus.

“We are checking what exactly happened. Witnesses say the college bus lost control while evading a scooter and rammed the private bus. Whether any of the vehicles were speeding is yet to be verified. We will register a case,” said a police officer. 

The accident has reignited long-standing grievances among local residents regarding the safety of the Pookattupady stretch. Many pointed out that the road remains dangerously narrow, reflecting the same dimensions it had years ago despite a massive increase in traffic volume. 

With several engineering colleges, schools, and industrial units now located in the area, the road is frequently used by heavy trucks and buses. Locals argue that the lack of road widening and proper safety measures at critical curves makes such collisions almost inevitable.