IDUKKI: At least four persons were killed after a KSRTC bus fell into a gorge at Pullupara near Kuttikkanam on Monday morning.
The deceased have been identified as Mavelikkara residents Rama Mohan (51), Arun Hari, Bindhu, and Sangeeth. The incident happened on Monday at around 6 am.
According to sources, the bus carrying 34 passengers was on a trip to Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu, hiring a KSRTC bus from the Mavelikkara depot in Alappuzha district. The incident happened while the bus was returning to Mavelikara.
The bus set off from Mavelikkara on Sunday morning and was scheduled to return on Monday morning. However, while negotiating a curve at Pullupara, the brakes of the bus reportedly failed, resulting in the driver losing control of the vehicle, which plunged into a 30-ft gorge.
Eyewitnesses said that a huge tragedy was averted as the bus got stuck in a tree in the gorge as it rolled down.
The injured were shifted to the government hospital in Peermade and a private hospital in Mundakayam.
Rescue operations were initially led by local residents in the area. Later, fire and rescue personnel and police joined the operation, and the injured were taken to nearby hospitals.