The driver of a Kerala State Road Transport Corporation bus was instantly killed and about 30 passengers were injured, including two seriously, after the vehicle rammed into a tree on the median near Chakkaraparambu along the Palarivattom Bypass around 4.15 a.m. on Monday.
The deceased was identified as Arun Sukumar, 45, of Pazhayakada, Thiruvananthapuram. Among the ones seriously injured was conductor Suresh Raj, 50, of Kanjiramkulam. The details of the other seriously injured were not immediately known. The two seriously injured are in the ICU with suspected internal injuries, said sources at a private hospital near Palarivattom where the passengers were rushed to shortly after the incident.
Palarivattom police suspect that the driver may have dozed off, leading to the accident. The front portion of the bus was reduced to rubble and retrieving the driver proved to be a tough task. Though he was rushed to a nearby hospital, he was declared brought dead.
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The bus was on its way to Kozhikode from Thiruvananthapuram when the accident occurred at Chakkaraparambu between Vytilla and Palarivattom along the bypass.