Eighteen people were injured when a bus overturned and fell into a paddy field at Nallepilly, near Chittur, in the district on Monday morning.
The bus, heading towards Pathanamthitta from Bengaluru, had 38 passengers in it. Local people rescued the passengers by breaking open the windshields of the bus soon after the accident. The Fire and Rescue Services later lifted the bus by using a crane.
The injured were admitted to the District General Hospital here and Government Taluk Hospital at Chittur. Hospital sources said the injuries were not serious.
Minister for Water Resources K. Krishnankutty visited the accident site.
Many inter-State long-distance buses have been taking detours to their destinations in order to avoid the regular checks by the Motor Vehicles Department.
Sources said that slapping of fines around ₹5,000 by the Motor Vehicle Department had become so common in recent times, especially after an issue involving a Kallada Transport bus.
The bus that careened off the road and overturned into the paddy field too had taken a detour through Nallepilly.