A wedding party's journey in Kerala took a frightening turn after a tourist bus carrying around 35 passengers overturned near a petrol pump in Ernakulam district. The accident took place on August 27 after the bus driver made a sharp manoeuvre while trying to avoid a scooter that had suddenly come in front of the vehicle.
The mishap occurred at around 10:30 AM near Kakkoor on the Koothattukulam-Piravom Road. The private tourist bus was carrying members of a wedding party when it reportedly went out of control while the driver attempted to avoid the two-wheeler.
Bus overturns while avoiding scooter
CCTV footage of the crash has since surfaced online, showing the bus driver making a sharp right turn and applying the brakes after a scooter appeared to move in front of the bus without giving a signal.
As the driver tried to avoid the two-wheeler, the bus veered off the road and crashed into a structure at a nearby petrol pump before overturning. The vehicle narrowly missed the fuel dispensers, a car that had stopped for refuelling and another two-wheeler.
A direct hit on the fuel dispensing area could have led to a major fire or an even more serious accident. More than 20 passengers were injured in the crash.
Local residents rushed to the spot soon after the accident and helped pull passengers out of the overturned bus. The injured were then taken to nearby private hospitals in Koothattukulam.
Fire and Rescue Services personnel and police also arrived at the scene and joined the rescue operation. Police reportedly said none of the injuries appeared to be serious, although some passengers fell unconscious after the crash.
Viral video sparks debate over crash
The accident has since drawn widespread attention on social media, with users debating the roles of both the scooter rider and the bus driver. Several commenters blamed the scooter rider for suddenly moving into the bus's path, while others questioned the speed at which the bus was travelling on a narrow road.
One user criticised the scooter rider's judgement, writing, "Wearing a helmet and having all the documents is not enough if you have no awareness of what is happening around you on the road."
Another focused on the number of people travelling in the bus, commenting, "One careless move by a scooter rider and an entire wedding party ended up in an overturned bus."
The bus driver's driving was also questioned, with one commenter saying, "Drivers on Kerala's roads need to be more patient. Aggressive overtaking, constant honking and rushing can make already narrow roads even more dangerous."
Another wrote, "The scooter rider made a dangerous move, but the bus was also travelling far too fast. That red scooter was incredibly lucky to get away from it."
A fifth user took aim at the risks posed by heavy vehicles carrying passengers, saying, "Some bus drivers drive as though they are alone on the road, forgetting how many people are sitting behind them."
The crash left the wedding party facing a sudden and frightening interruption to what had started as a celebratory journey, while the CCTV footage has kept the focus on the split-second decisions that preceded the overturning.
ALSO READ:
