KOCHI: As many as 35 people were injured in a road accident, after six vehicles, including a KSRTC Swift bus, collided in a row on MC Road in Koothattukulam on Monday evening. The vehicles travelling from Kottayam towards Muvattupuzha crashed into each other near V Cinemas in Koothattukulam at 3.45pm. Passengers in the KSRTC bus, the tempo traveller, and the car sustained injuries.
The chain collision started when a jeep in front screeched to a sudden halt, causing a pickup jeep behind it to ram it. A tempo traveller of Nenmara Cooperative Society of Palakkad district, a tipper truck of CBM company, and a KSRTC Swift bus also ended up with a similar fate and a car at the rear end also rammed the bus. In the collision, the front portion of the bus was severely damaged. Around 20 passengers on the bus were injured and taken to a private hospital in Koothattukulam, along with others from various vehicles, said a source.
“During the collision, the car crashed into the rear of the bus and became stuck. Bobin Varghese, a resident of Pambady who was travelling in the car, was seriously injured, and was shifted to a private hospital in Kottayam,” said a police officer at Koothattukulam police station. The injuries sustained by others are not serious, he added.
Meanwhile, the locals, along with the Fire and Rescue team of Koothattukulam and police drove the injured to various hospitals. The Fire and Rescue team also cleared the vehicles from the road using a crane and restored vehicular movement.