Seven dead, 10 seriously injured in bus accident near Kasargod

There were more than 60 passengers in the bus. The deceased include two children

Seven persons, including two children, were killed and around ten seriously injured after a tourist bus carrying a wedding party from Karnataka met with an accident at Panathur in Kasargod district in Kerala on Sunday.

All the deceased and injured were natives of Sullia, Puttur and nearby areas of Dakshina Kannada.

The mishap occurred by around 11.30 am. The bus was going from Puttur to Karike, both in Karnataka, through Panathur, about 50 kilometres from Kasargod town. The bus toppled after it lost control, rammed into a tree and fell over a house that was several feet below the road level in the hilly terrain.

Local people started the rescue operation and the police and fire and rescue services personnel joined subsequently. The injured were initially rushed to the Kasargod district hospital and those seriously injured were rushed to Mangalore.

Local sources said that the passengers in the bus were proceeding to Karikke to attend a marriage. They were kith and kin of the bride. Over speeding was suspected to be the reason for the accident and the bus was also suspected to be over crowded with around 70 passengers. Some passengers also raised suspicions of drunken driving. The Kerala government ordered a probe into the mishap.

Kasargod district administration identified the deceased as Sulliya natives Ravichandran, 40, and Jayalekhshmi, 39, Puttur native Sumathi, 50, Valnad native Rajesh, 45, Ardhamoole native Narayanan's son Shreyas, 13, Bantwal native Sasidhara Poojari, 43, and Puttur native Rajesh's son Aadarsh, 12.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condoled over the incident. The state government also directed the Kasargod district administration and health authorities to ensure proper treatment to the injured.