The country woke up to the sad and shocking news of at least 19 people killed after the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation bus collided with a lorry near Avanashi town in Coimbatore.
February 20, will never be forgotten for the 48 passengers, who travelled in a state-run bus that collided with a container lorry in Tirupur district of Tamil Nadu.
Meanwhile, Palakkad Superintendent of Police Siva Vikram told news agency Press Trust of India (PTI) that twelve of the 19 dead have been identified and most of the passengers were from Palakkad, Thrissur and Ernakulam districts of Kerala.
Giving details about the incident, Palakkad Superintendent of Police Siva Vikram said, "It was a high speed collision. The container lorry lost control. We do not know if the driver dozed off or the tyre burst. The lorry entered the wrong lane and crashed into the KSRTC bus coming in the opposite direction. We are taking the names and details."
The passengers, who had a narrow escape from the accident are in shock and fear.
While speaking to media, Karishma, who was in the bus and on her way to Ernakulam said, "The incident took place by around 3:15 am. When I woke up suddenly, I saw many people running around and the injured being taken to ambulance."
Another passenger also from Kerala, identified as Alan said "I have sustained a minor injury on my leg. But my friend is injured on the nose and I am taking him to hospital, now." Meanwhile, Charishma K. in her ordeal stated that she woke up from deep sleep after hearing a loud thud. On waking up, she found that the right side of the bus was completely open.
Another injured passenger, Jemin George, who suffered serious injuries on lip and forehead said, "I didn't know what happened actually. I was sleeping in a seat behind the driver's seat."
The bus left Bengaluru at 8:0 pm on Wednesday and was expected to reach Ernakulam at 7:00 am on Thursday, The News Minute reported.
Photo Credit: The Hindu
