160+ passengers refused to alight in rain; Priyadarshini narrowly escapes disaster at Kuttiyadi Ghat

Kozhikode: A major tragedy was narrowly averted after a KSRTC Priyadarshini bus carrying more than 160 passengers met with an accident while climbing the Kuttiyadi Ghat on Wednesday. The swift presence of mind and courage shown by the driver prevented what could have been a catastrophic mishap.

The incident occurred at around 10.30 am when the KSRTC bus, travelling from Thottilpalam to Mananthavady, suffered brake failure at the eighth hairpin bend of the ghat road. According to preliminary information, the vehicle's joint and air pipe snapped after the bus attempted to climb the steep stretch while carrying far more passengers than its permitted capacity.

As the bus began rolling backwards uncontrollably, panic spread among the passengers. Driver N.P. Sudheer, a native of Perambra, managed to bring the vehicle to a halt by deliberately steering its rear into the retaining wall on the right side of the road, preventing it from plunging down the hillside.

The accident disrupted traffic through the Kuttiyadi Ghat for nearly an hour.

The bus had entered the ghat section at around 10 am after departing from Kozhikode. However, a KSRTC bus from the Mananthavady depot had broken down earlier at Poothampara, at the foot of the ghat. The stranded passengers from that bus were subsequently shifted to the Thottilpalam–Mananthavady service.

Although the driver and conductor repeatedly requested some passengers to alight because the bus was overloaded, no one was willing to get off as heavy rain lashed the area. After waiting at Poothampara for some time, the overcrowded bus resumed its journey up the ghat, where the accident occurred.