A bike rider was killed and 13 injured after an inter State luxury bus operated by Kallada Travels overturned at Madavana Junction in the Kundannur-Aroor NH Bypass corridor after ramming into the traffic signal post, in the forenoon of June 23.
The bike rider Jijo Sebastian, 33 years, from Wagamon was trapped under the bus that overturned. He could not be saved despite being taken to a nearby private super speciality hospital .
The bus that was on its way from Bengaluru to Varkala had 42 passengers on board, of whom many suffered injuries. Fire and Rescue Service personnel, assisted by a crane brought in by NHAI, raised the bus and cleared it off the road.
Those who suffered injuries are Anjaly, 44, of Kollam; Elias, 39, Alappuzha; Sudhamani, 56, Pathanamthitta; Lisa, 42, Aswin,18 and Ankitha, 15, all from Kollam; Arya, 24, Kannur; Anandu, 27, Alappuzha; Ravikumar, 34, from a North Indian State; Sobha, 52, Mavelikkara; Chandran Pillai, 60, Alappuzha and his daughter Athira 26.
Those who have been admitted to hospital with injuries include Palpandy, 42, of Tenkashi, who was driving the bus that is said to have skidded off the road, reportedly when he applied the brake at the signal that turned red, and rammed the signal post. Hospital sources said eight injured people were discharged by Sunday evening. Three of those still in the hospital suffered spinal injuries.
The MVD and traffic police had termed the busy junction on the six-lane stretch as highly accident-prone and were demanding that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) take steps to redesign it, and the entry points into the NH from service roads and a pair of byroads. They also cited the need to improve road grip here, since vehicles that applied brakes tend to skid due to the bituminous coating.
Published - June 23, 2024 01:38 pm IST
