Two persons were killed after a tourist bus rammed a timber-laden lorry at Punkunnam, near here, in the wee hours of Tuesday. Around 30 people were injured in the accident.
The deceased are Aneesh, 32, a newspaper distributor of Seetharam Mill Lane, Punkunnam, and Karunan, a tourist guide from Kozhikode. Aneesh died after he was trapped under the timber logs fallen from the lorry. Karunan was thrown out of the bus in the effect of the collision and the bus ran over him.
The accident occurred on the Punkunnam overbridge at around 3 a.m. The bus going from Kanyakumari to Kozhikode hit the timber-laden lorry, which was coming from the opposite side. The rope that was used to tie the timber logs in the lorry was broken in the impact of the collision and the logs fell on Aneesh, who was riding a bicycle to distribute newspapers. Though his brother was coming behind him in another bicycle he could not rescue Aneesh. His father Karimbanakkal Kunjan died on Monday. It is suspected that the over-speeding bus caused the accident. Karunan, who was sitting in the front seat of the bus, was thrown out of the vehicle when the front glass of the bus was shattered in the collision. He was run over by the bus.
The police, fire force and ACTS activists conducted the rescue works. The passengers in the bus were members of the Thanima Swayam Sahakarana Sahaya Sangam, Kozhikode. They were returning after visiting Kanyakumari and Kovalam. The injured people are undergoing treatment in various hospitals. The bus driver, Raveendran, is on ventilator support.
