Kasaragod: A school bus with around 20 students overturned into a roadside ditch at Nellikkunnu in Kasaragod town on Thursday morning after the driver swerved to avoid overgrown bushes encroaching onto a narrow stretch of road.

No one was injured in the accident, which occurred around 9.30 am on the Bankarakunnu-Kudur Road near the residence of former MLA N A Nellikkunnu.

The bus belonged to Anwarul Uloom Aided Upper Primary School (AU AUP School) in Nellikkunnu, managed by the Thangal Uppapa Committee. LKG and UKG students of Thangal Uppapa English Medium School, a private institution run by the same committee, were also on board.

Driver Akbar said the Bankarakunnu-Kudur Road is only about 2.5 metres wide, making it difficult for two vehicles to pass each other. The stretch where the accident occurred is riddled with potholes, along with a slope and a bend. Overgrown bushes along the roadside had further narrowed the carriageway. Akbar said he attempted to steer clear of the bushes, and the bus moved off the edge of the road and toppled into a roadside ditch.

The children were frightened and began screaming after the bus overturned. Residents rushed to the spot and helped evacuate the students safely.

The incident triggered protests from residents, who blamed the poor condition of the road for creating a safety hazard. They demanded that authorities immediately clear the overgrowth and repair the pothole-ridden road, regularly used by school buses and other vehicles.