Coimbatore KSRTC bus tragedy: Crash jolted us awake and sent us hurling, says passenger

COIMBATORE: A deafening crash jolted him awake and sent him hurling. P Jordin Xavier, 38, from Nemmara in Palakkad district, said if he and his wife Anu Mathai had got seats on the right side of the bus their names would have been among the deceased. Jordin, who was returning from Bengaluru, got away with injuries in the hands and legs.
Jordin said they were returning home after his wife wrote an exam in Bengaluru on Wednesday for a job in Saudi Arabia. “We were in seats no 19 and 20. We were deep asleep. We suffered minor injuries in the collision. We were in shock after seeing many passengers lying dead in their seats,” said Jordin.
The couple were rescued by fire and rescue services personnel and were admitted to the Tirupur Government Hospital. Around 1 pm, the couple left for their home town.
Siddhu Malawad, 44, from Bengaluru, an employee of an MNC company, said he was fast asleep and didn’t know how the accident happened. “When I woke up after the loud noise and the jolt, all I could see was blood soaked passengers, some dead and some unconscious,’’ he said. Survivors are in a state of trauma.
He said he was on an official visit to Kochi from Bengaluru. “All the passengers had been deep asleep. After the crash, passengers in the front seats were lying dead. I helped the rescuers and later I was treated as an outpatient in a hospital near the accident spot,” said Siddhu Malawad.
K Vijayakarthikeyan, Tirupur collector, said two possibilities are being cited as reasons for the accident - the driver was asleep; and the rear tyres of the container truck burst. He said he has instructed the regional transport officer to conduct an inquiry into the cause of the accident. Addressing media persons at the Tirupur Government Hospital, he said 25 passengers were injured and they were admitted to various hospitals. Their condition is stable.
Death certificates have been issued immediately to family members of the victims.
D Balamurali, Palakkad collector, said: “The Kerala government will bear the medical expenses of the injured passengers. Those who suffered minor injuries will be sent home after treatment. People who suffered major injuries will be transferred to hospitals in Kerala after getting the opinion of doctors and their relatives,” said Balamurali.