40 injured in bus-lorry smash

At least 40 people were injured when a KSRTC bus in which they were travelling collided with a tipper lorry near Chelakkara on Friday. The KSRTC bus was going from Wadakkancherry to Erumeli via Elanadu, and the tipper lorry was on its way to Thrissur. The bus driver Jayakrishnan was admitted to Medical College Hospital here along with some of the bus passengers. The others were admitted to Amala Hospital, Chelakkara, and Aswani Hospital, Thrissur.

According to eye-witnesses, the truck skidded off the road while negotiating a curve which had turned slippery owing to a morning drizzle and rammed into the bus. The truck driver and cleaner immediately fled from the scene. A passenger who was seated right behind the bus driver’s cabin said that the accident occurred around 6.50 am. “All of us were thrown out of our seats owing to the impact of the collision,” he said.

The traffic along the National Highway was completely halted for almost two hours following the accident. Later, the police took control of the traffic and diverted the vehicles to alternative routes. Some of the injured include Jissy, 23, Nabeesa, 52, Janaki, 48, Sajitha, 26, Swaminathan, 32, Abdul Salam, 32, Jackson, 22, Leelamma, 42, Lakshmikuttiamma, 54, Krishna, 40, Thomas, 52, Subi Thomas, 40, P K Shaji, 50, Lakshmanan, 53, and Narayanan 57.