KOLLAM: As many as 13 persons sustained injuries after a KSRTC bus caught fire following a collision with a concrete mixing unit truck at Vayakkal between Kottarakkara and Ayur.
The incident took place on the MC road on Saturday around 2.30 pm. Both vehicles were completely gutted in the incident. Four among the 13, including the bus driver, sustained serious injuries including burns. The accident took place on the Thiruvananthapuram- Moovattapuzha National Highway. The fast passenger bus AT 399, belonging to Killimanoor depot was plying from Kottarakkara to Thiruvananthapuram when it collided head-on with a concrete mixer truck.
The bus collided with the truck at its front end where the diesel tank is placed. The truck caught fire in the impact and it spread towards the bus burning it down completely, said police personnel. Seven fire units from Kollam, Kundara, and Kottarakkara reached the spot and doused the fire. The four people on the bus, who sustained serious injuries including the bus driver Prakash, 50, and conductor Sajeev, 41, were immediately rushed to Thiruvananthapuram Medical College. Whereas the others were taken to Kottarakkara Taluk Hospital.
There were around 30 passengers on the bus at the time of the incident. However, the presence of mind of the conductor and driver saved the lives of the passengers from a major mishap. In the process, driver Prakash suffered burns and conductor Sajeev sustained head injury. The traffic was cleared within an hour along the stretch. Though the actual reason for the accident is not yet confirmed. However, the KSRTC officials state the incident occurred as the truck driver took a wrong entry.