THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A Thrissur-bound Thiruvananthapuram superfast bus had a head-on collision with city-bound fast passenger bus from Kollam at Kadambattukonam on Sunday evening. Four women were killed and at least 40 injured in the accident. The incident occurred around 7 pm.
According to witnesses, the superfast bus was over-speeding and apparently lost its control and collided with the fast passenger bus.
There was a light shower in the locality on Sunday evening. This might have resulted in the vehicle skidding off and ramming into the fast passenger bus. It took nearly an hour for the rescue operation to be over. Cranes and fire engines were rushed in from Attingal and Kollam.
Among the dead were a pedestrian Sujatha, 38.
Her body was badly crushed under the buses. Rescue workers were able to take out her body from the debris only after the buses were removed using cranes. Sujatha’s sister was also injured in the accident.
KSRTC to Bear Treatment Expense
The State Government has announced an ex-gratia payment to injured and the relatives of those who died in the accident.
“Those injured in the accident would receive Rs 3,000 each while the relatives of those who died in the accident would receive Rs 10,000 each as an immediate help,” said Health Minister V S Sivakumar, after visiting the accident spot. He said the next Cabinet would decide on the compensation to be given to the relatives of those who died in the accident.
The minister, who was holding the Transport portfolio till Thursday, said that Kerala State Road Transport Corporation would bear the expenses of the treatment of all those who were injured.
Sivakumar announced this after consulting the present Transport Minister Aryadan Muhammed. Meanwhile, Aryadan had started off to the spot from Malappuram after cancelling his programmes there.
A day of accidents
Parippally: It was a day of accidents on the 2 km stretch Kadamapattukonam and Parippally on Sunday. Nearly eighteen people were injured in another accident near the spot of the collision of the two KSRTC buses. This accident occurred in front of the Parippally police station when a mini- tourist bus hit a private bus around 8.30 pm which came soon after the accident involving the KSRTC buses. The first accident of the day was involving an ambulance and a car in the forenoon.
“The area between Kadambattukonam and Parippally is accident-prone”, said G S Jayalal, Chathanoor MLA, who was at both the accident spots leading the rescue operations.
“A lot of accidents occur here,” he said, referring to frequent accidents in the area recently. The peculiar nature of the road with the slope along with a turning may be cited as the reason for the frequent occurrence of the accidents while the over-speeding of the vehicles also have role in this, according to the local people.