71 injured as RTC buses collide

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Two KSRTC buses collided head-on near Maruthoor, on the outskirts of the city, on Saturday evening injuring 71 people. The accident occurred at the Maruthoor curve around 4.30 p.m. when the buses, one belonging to the Mala depot and the other from Adoor depot, collided head-on.According to witnesses, it occurred in the accident-prone curve of the state highway near Maruthoor when the super-fast bus from Mala depot heading for Thiruvananthapuram rammed into the fast passenger bus going to Cherukolpuzha. It is said that the super-fast bus was over-speeding and tried to overtake another vehicle at the deadly curve and rammed into the  fast passenger.Meanwhile, a private car which was at the tail of the super-fast bus failed to slow down and hit the bus from behind.Most of the passengers in both buses were injured, mainly on faces and the upper body.Majority of the passengers in the fast passenger bus was candidates returning from the city after attending the UGC NET examination. The injured were rushed to the Medical College Hospital here.  The traffic along the state highway was disrupted for several hours after the accident.Police officers drawn from various stations and the traffic personnel diverted the vehicles at Mannanthala and Maruthoor.  The diverted vehicles converged at the Mukkola-Maruthoor stretch and created traffic block there.Finally, the police crane was pressed into service to remove  the bus to the roadside. The condition of all the injured is said to be stable.