Malappuram: A one-year-old girl child had a miraculous escape from what could have been a tragic accident after the driver of a private bus spotted the toddler sitting in the middle of a busy road and acted swiftly to rescue the child near Pulikkal in Malappuram on Wednesday. The incident occurred at Cherumuttam on the Pulikkal–Valiyaparamba road in Pulikkal Grama Panchayat.

The private bus 'Safa Marva', operating on the Puthiyedath Parambu–Feroke route, was negotiating a curve at Cherumuttam when driver Ramachandran noticed the toddler sitting calmly in the middle of the road. Realising the imminent danger, he immediately brought the bus to a halt. Conductor Navas quickly got down from the vehicle, picked up the child, and took the toddler to a nearby house, which was later identified as the child's home.

CCTV footage from the bus vividly captures the tense moments. The visuals show that within seconds of the child being lifted from the road, a scooter approached the same spot from the opposite direction. The stretch where the child was sitting is located on a slight curve, reducing visibility for approaching motorists and making the situation particularly dangerous.

According to family members, the child had wandered out of the house unnoticed. The residence is located about 50 metres from the roadside. The toddler had been sleeping, and believing the child was still asleep, the parents were not nearby at the time. They reportedly became aware that the child had left the house only after members of the bus crew safely brought her back home.