A harrowing incident in Kerala's Thrissur district has left at least three women injured, one critically, after a private bus rammed into a bus stop where they were waiting. The event, captured on CCTV, unfolded in Anchamkallu, Chovvur, sending shockwaves through the community.
According to reports, the Al-Asa bus, traveling from Thrissur to Kodungallur, careened off the road and crashed into the passenger waiting area. Eyewitness accounts suggest the bus was speeding at the time of the accident. Startling visuals show the women attempting to flee as the bus approached, but they were unable to escape the vehicle's path.
Following the crash, the bus driver fled the scene. Locals attempted to pursue him, but he managed to evade capture by scaling a wall and running through a nearby field. Authorities are currently searching for the driver.
The injured women, identified as Sangeetha, Prema, and Saina, were immediately rushed to the intensive care unit of a private hospital in Koorkenchery. Among them, Prema is said to be in critical condition, raising serious concerns about her well-being.
The impact of the crash also caused considerable damage to the bus stop and nearby electric posts, disrupting electricity supply in the area. The incident occurred around noon on Saturday. It was raining heavily in the area at the time of the accident. It is suspected that the bus skidded off the road due to the rain.
This incident adds to a string of recent bus-related accidents in Kerala. Just last month, a mechanic was killed at the Kozhikode bus stand after being run over by a private bus. In another incident in May, a woman died after being hit by a KSRTC bus at the Thampanoor bus stand in Thiruvananthapuram. Earlier this year, in January, four people were killed and 32 injured after a KSRTC bus fell into a gorge in Idukki district. Furthermore, five Keralites recently died in a bus accident in Kenya while on a tour.
These recurring incidents raise serious questions about road safety and the need for stricter regulations and enforcement to prevent such tragedies. Preliminary reports suggest that overspeeding may have been a contributing factor in the Thrissur accident. Authorities will need to conduct a thorough investigation to determine the exact cause of the crash and take appropriate action.
