Mananthavady: More than 40 people, including a driver and a conductor, were injured when two Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses collided head-on near Kaithakkal, between Kaithakkal and Kappunchal in Wayanad, at around 9.45 am on Monday.

One of the buses was operating on the Parassinikadavu (Kannur)–Sulthan Bathery route, while the other was travelling from Nilambur in Malappuram to Iritty in Kannur.

According to hospital authorities, the majority of the injured were passengers travelling in the Kannur–Sulthan Bathery bus. Although the impact of the collision caused panic among passengers, none of those injured, including the KSRTC crew members, sustained life-threatening injuries. Most suffered minor injuries, cuts and bruises.

The injured were rushed to the Government Medical College Hospital, Mananthavady, in ambulances and private vehicles. Doctors said all the injured were in stable condition and were undergoing treatment.

Local residents were the first to reach the accident site and assisted in evacuating passengers trapped inside the damaged buses. Police personnel and emergency responders soon arrived and coordinated the rescue operation, regulated traffic, and shifted the injured to the hospital.

According to eyewitnesses, the accident occurred on a sharp bend along the road. They alleged that the speed of one of the buses may have contributed to the collision. However, the exact cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained, and the police have launched an investigation.

The collision disrupted traffic on the busy stretch of Kozhikode-Mananthavadi Road for some time before the damaged buses were removed and normal traffic was restored.