Palakkad (Kerala): Nine people including five students were killed and 38 were injured in an accident in Vadakkancherry after a tourist bus carrying students from Baselious School in Ernakulam's Mulanthuruthy rammed into a KSRTC from behind bus on Thursday.
Kerala Road Transport Minister Antony Raju said that the accident took place at around 12 am when the tourist bus, coming in at high speeds, hit the KSRTC from behind. "Both the buses went off the road as a result. Nine persons, including five students and a teacher, were killed in the accident," the minister told reporters.
As for the reason behind the incident, Raju said that prima facie it seems that the collision took place because of the high speed of the tourist bus and the negligence of the driver. The Minister also said that the KSRTC bus was going from Kottarakkara in Kerala to Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu and had 81 passengers, of whom three died in the accident.
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As for the tourist bus, he said that it was carrying 42 students and five teachers of Baselios Vidyanikethan Senior Secondary School in Ernakulam, who were on a pleasure trip. Speaking to reporters during his visit to the hospital in Palakkad where the injured were admitted State Local Self Government Minister M B Rajesh said four among the injured are in critical condition while rest are out of danger.
State Revenue Minister K Rajan said that said there will be an investigation to ascertain how and why the accident happened and strict measures would be needed to be put in place for preventing such incidents in the future.
The Minister also said that said a cabinet meeting will be held to consider providing compensation to the families who lost loved ones in the accident and that counseling may have to be provided to the students who lost close friends and a teacher in the tragic incident.
