KSRTC tour bus breaks down in forest area in Pathanamthitta; tourists stranded for hours

Pathanamthitta, Kerala: A KSRTC package tour bus heading to Gavi broke down deep inside a forested area, leaving 38 tourists, including women and children, stranded since Thursday morning. Despite alerting authorities at 11 AM, the replacement bus had not reached the spot as of evening, according to the stranded passengers.

The group, which included two KSRTC staff members, began their journey from Chadayamangalam in Kollam during the early hours. After visiting the Adavi ecotourism centre in Konni, Pathanamthitta, they were en route to Gavi when the bus broke down near Moozhiyar, within a dense forest area.

Due to lack of mobile coverage, there was a delay in informing the authorities, passengers said. While KSRTC officials confirmed that a vehicle had been dispatched, passengers said they had been waiting for hours without any assistance. The stranded location is about 50 km from Pathanamthitta town.