THRISSUR: Two persons, including a 17-year-old student, were killed and 25 others injured after a speeding private limited-stop bus lost control while attempting to overtake another vehicle and rammed into five vehicles before crashing into the compound wall of a house in Kunnamkulam on Thursday afternoon. The deceased were identified as Riya Fathima, 17, a native of Pannithadam, and Thangamani, 72, of Ayyapparambu, Kunnamkulam. Two of the injured, undergoing treatment, are in critical condition.
The accident occurred around 2.15 pm near the lower petrol pump at Parempadam-Cheruvathoor on the Kunnamkulam-Pattambi Road, a stretch that local residents say has witnessed more than a dozen major accidents over the past 10 years. According to the police and eyewitnesses, the private limited-stop bus ‘Alankar’, operating from Kozhikode to Thrissur, was travelling at high speed when the driver attempted to overtake another vehicle.
The driver reportedly lost control of the bus, which first hit a motorcycle before crashing into a car, a van and other vehicles. After hitting five vehicles, the bus smashed through the gate and compound wall of a nearby house before coming to a halt.
Riya Fathima, who was travelling in the car, suffered serious injuries and was rushed to hospital, where she succumbed. Thangamani also died while undergoing treatment. The collision caused extensive damage to the vehicles and traffic on the busy Kunnamkulam-Pattambi Road came to a standstill for several hours.
Residents said the accident once again highlighted the need for urgent safety measures on the stretch, which has long been considered one of the most dangerous road sections, which has witnessed more than a dozen major accidents over the past 10 years. Police have registered a case and launched an investigation into the accident.
MLA SEEKS STRINGENT ENFORCEMENT MEASURES
Thrissur: Kunnamkulam MLA A C Moideen has urged the state government to intervene urgently following the private bus accident at Parempadam in Kunnamkulam on Thursday that claimed the lives of two women and left several others injured.
Moideen conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families and urged the chief minister and the transport minister to ensure immediate assistance to the victims. He also called for stringent enforcement measures to curb overspeeding and reckless competition among private buses operating on the Kunnamkulam-Kozhikode route.
