The accident which killed 13 people and injured 30 others at Thelakkad, near Perinthalmanna, on Friday afternoon shocked the district even as the authorities started taking measures to stop similar accidents in future.
A quick survey of the accident scene and testimonies of some of the witnesses indicated that the poor condition of the bus led to the gruesome accident, offering the district the second ‘‘black Friday’’ in succession.
Eight members of a family were killed in an accident at Mukkola near Tanur on Friday last.
Witnesses said the bus was speeding. It lost control following a tyre burst. It veered off the road, hit a mango tree and overturned. Local people rushed the injured and the dead to hospitals at Perinthalmanna. K. Hamza, a witness, was in a shock for a few hours. He said that speeding of the bus at the slope took it out of control.
‘‘I was going home after attending the Juma prayers when the accident took place. I rushed to the spot only to find the bus driver and a few passengers trapped between the bus and the tree. I could pull them out with the support of some local people,’’ said Mr. Hamza.
Seven of the dead and several of the injured were girls from two parallel colleges. They were heading home after their class. Witnesses said that most of the dead were sitting on the right side of the bus.
Tyres worn out
The bus conductor and cleaner were among the injured. Mohammed Rafi, cleaner of the bus, said the bus was in good condition. However, the tyres of the bus showed that they had worn out.
‘‘The bus driver applied the brakes when one of the tyre burst. But he could not control the vehicle. In fact, he tried to stop it by hitting it against a tree,’’ Mr. Rafi, who was being treated at a hospital, said.
District Collector K. Biju announced an aid of Rs.10,000 to the families of the dead.
