KOCHI: In a gruesome incident, a 16-year-old girl fell off a moving KSRTC bus at Periyar Junction on Friday. Farhah Fathima, a Plus I student at Okkal SNS Higher Secondary School, was admitted to the intensive care unit of Ernakulam Medical Trust Hospital with deep head injuries.
The accident occurred while Farhah was travelling to school by standing on the footboard of the bus, which was plying on Aluva-Perumbavoor route as the bus was jampacked. However, when the bus reached Periyar Junction, the door of the bus accidentally opened after the strap of her bag caught entangled on the door lock.
“Since it was an ordinary bus, it was not equipped with pneumatic doors. When the door accidentally opened, she fell out of the bus and hit her head on the road. Though a few autorickshaw drivers rushed her to a nearby private hospital, her condition worsened. Following this, the family members shifted her to the Ernakulam Medical Trust Hospital,” said Soman, checking inspector, KSRTC Perumbavoor.
According to the locals, lack of sufficient private buses on Aluva-Perumbavoor route during peak hours force students and other passengers to travel in such a dangerous condition. “At present, 19 buses are conducting service on the stretch. A proposal to increase the number of services along the route has already been approved. Due to a lack of sufficient numbers of workers, the services are yet to be started. Three more buses are likely to start service from Monday,” said a KSRTC officer. Meanwhile, hospital sources said Farhah’s condition is critical, and she is under ventilator support.
MAN DIES, SON INJURED AS BUS HITS BIKE IN FORT KOCHI
Kochi: A 37-year-old man died and his four-year-old child suffered injuries after a speeding private bus hit the bike on which they were travelling at Amaravathy near Fort Kochi on Friday. Jayakumar, son of Ramesh, is identified as the deceased. According to the police, the accident took place near Amaravathy Christian Church around 6 pm on Friday. “Jayakumar was coming from Fort Kochi side on his bike when the bus that was proceeding towards Fort Kochi rammed his motorcycle. In the impact, Jayakumar and his son were thrown off the vehicle. While Jayakumar died, his son escaped with injuries,” said the police officer. Fort Kochi police have taken the bus and the driver who caused the accident into custody. Deepa is the wife of Jayakumar.
Pillion rider killed in road accident at Ambalamugal
Kochi: A 21-year-old youth died after the two-wheeler on which he was riding pillion hit a scooter that tried to cross the road negligently at Ambalamugal around 1.30pm on Thursday. The deceased is Shiphil of Malappuram. In the impact of the collision, Shiphil fell on the road and suffered head injuries. Though he was rushed to a private hospital, he succumbed to injuries around 1.30am on Friday. The scooter was ridden by Shiphil’s colleague Ajay Rajendran. The police have registered a case against Thiruvaniyoor native Anoop Sathyan for causing death by negligence. His arrest would be recorded soon. The body was handed over to relatives after postmortem examination.