Chalakudy: A KSRTC bus heading from Thrissur to Kottayam found itself in a tight spot—literally—after following a misleading direction board near Muringoor, where an underpass is under construction. Mistaking a small bypass road at Kallukadavu in Muringur for the main route to Ernakulam, the driver veered off onto a lane meant only for light vehicles and ended up getting stuck.

In a desperate attempt to move the trapped bus, it scraped and damaged a wall, resulting in a compensation of ₹8,000 to the owner. Another wall had to be demolished with a JCB to pull the bus out, for which the owner was paid ₹2,000—both amounts borne by the bus driver.

The early morning mishap on Monday, around 4.30 am, triggered a six-and-a-half-hour-long traffic jam on the nearby National Highway. The incident blocked even smaller vehicles from passing through the narrow lane, forcing traffic to be rerouted entirely via the service road of the National Highway. The jam extended all the way back to the main road. To make matters worse, a minor landslip occurred on the service road during the ordeal, causing further traffic disruption.

By 9.30 am, the bus was finally pulled out, leaving behind a trail of damaged walls, dusty roads and one very expensive wrong turn.