Three people, including a four-day-old baby, were killed and several others injured when a speeding Kerala State Road Transport Corporation bus rammed into an autorickshaw in Pallipuram on Thursday.
According to the police, the incident took place near National Highway 66 around 8.30 pm when Manambur residents Mahesh and wife Anu were returning home in an autorickshaw after delivering a child at SAT Hospital here four days ago. There were six passengers in the vehicle.
Soon after the collision, the newborn, Anu’s mother, Shobha and the autorickshaw driver Sunil died. Mahesh, Anu and their five-year-old daughter have sustained serious injuries and have been admitted to the hospital.
The incident is believed to have happened when the KSRTC superfast bus, which was going from Kollam towards Thiruvananthapuram, was overtaking another vehicle. The driver of the bus fled from the spot as soon as the collision occurred.
Mahesh, who was holding the infant, was thrown away from the autorickshaw due to the impact of the collision. Despite being taken to a private hospital in Kazhakootam, the child’s life could not be saved.
Soon after the collision, another KSRTC bus running behind the superfast bus applied brakes suddenly, as a result of which an autorickshaw hit it from behind. While some passengers in the autorickshaw are believed to have sustained injuries, their details are not known.