Kerala: One person was killed, and 26 others were injured after a private bus overturned on National Highway 66 near Kuttippuram in Kerala’s Malappuram district on Sunday morning.
Bus Loses Control, Collides With Multiple Vehicles And Overturns
According to news agency PTI, the bus was travelling along the Kozhikode-Thrissur route around 11:00 AM when it allegedly lost control near Kailash Auditorium. Before flipping over, the bus struck an autorickshaw and crashed into a car that was already involved in an earlier incident.
Upon receiving information about the accident, police, fire, and rescue personnel, along with local bystanders, rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation. Rescuers were forced to cut open parts of the mangled vehicle to pull out passengers trapped inside. The injured were subsequently shifted to hospitals in Kuttippuram, Valanchery, and Kottakkal for treatment.
CCTV Captures Horrific Crash
The entire incident was captured on CCTV cameras installed near the accident site. The footage shows the bus travelling along the road before losing control, skidding for over 25 meters, and overturning after hitting a divider on a service road.
As the bus flips onto its side, debris scatters across the highway while thick smoke and dust envelop the scene. The clip further shows the bus crushing an autorickshaw before finally coming to a halt on top of a car involved in an earlier accident.
Investigation Launched
Following the incident, Kerala Transport Minister C O John stated that preliminary information suggests the bus may have been travelling at high speed.
“One person was killed and several others injured after a private limited-stop bus overturned on National Highway 66 at Kuttippuram in Malappuram district on Sunday morning. The accident occurred at around 11 a.m. near Kailash Auditorium in Kuttippuram. The bus, named ‘Defender’, was operating a limited-stop service from Kozhikode to Thrissur when it met with the accident. According to preliminary information, the bus was travelling at high speed. An investigation has been launched into the incident,” the minister was quoted as saying.