Kochi: The scene at the depot of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) at Ernakulam was sombre on Thursday. As the body of driver Baiju, who was killed in the ghastly bus accident at Avinashi near Coimbatore on February 20, was brought to the depot, his colleagues were overcome with grief.

Drivers Girish and Baiju were among the 19 Keralites killed when a container lorry rammed the KSRTC Volvo bus enroute to Ernakulam from Bengaluru. Baiju's body was brought to the Ernakulam bus stand on Thursday for his friends and colleagues to pay homage. Hibi Eden, MP, TJ Vinod, MLA, Ernakulam Collector S Suhas, and other top officers of KSRTC were present.

The postmortem of Girish's body, which had taken longer to complete, was on the way here. It was from this depot that Baiju and Girish began their journey, which proved to be their last,  on Tuesday.

Both were known for providing exceptional hospitality to passengers. The duo never hesitated to help those on board who were in need of special attention.

Even as their colleagues and KSRTC passengers mourned their death, many passengers who had taken their bus earlier recounted how the two went out of their way to rescue a seriously ill patient during a Bengaluru trip on June 3, 2018.

"I was fortunate to live to tell this tale because of their care and affection. Their timely intervention saved my life," Dr Kavitha Warrier, a passenger who had taken ill on board their bus back then, said while recollecting the incident.

“May their soul rest in peace," she added.

The KSRTC management had honoured the duo for their exemplary efforts subsequently.

The Facebook page - KSRTC Ernakulam – had published a detailed note about that rescue mission.

Here is the note:

Dr Kavita had boarded the Ernakulam Volvo to Bengaluru from Thrissur on June 3, 2018. Mid way through, she suffered epileptic seizure.

Baiju said a passenger came and asked if he had a key. “When I enquired, he said a female passenger in the back has had a seizure."

"I gave them the key but after some time he came back and said it did not work. They suggested that we should take the bus to a hospital. Other passengers too wanted the same.”

"By that time, we had reached Hosur. We took a turn and headed to a hospital near the highway. We admitted the patient in the hospital and informed the KSRTC office in Bengaluru. We were told that we should return only after providing necessary assistance to the patient. We also informed Benny at the KSRTC depot in Thrissur. I told him that money had to be deposited beforehand for the patient’s admission in the hospital. Benny told us to deposit the amount since it is a matter of life and death."

"The hospital authorities then said that since the patient is in a serious condition, they needed someone to stay with her so that they could provide all required treatment. Hospital authorities said they were not willing to take any risk. Since nobody was willing, I decided to stay with the patient until her relatives reached the place. When we called up the control room, we were told that if one of us can drive the vehicle to Bengaluru with the passengers, the other can stay back in the hospital."

Baiju stayed in the hospital and Girish drove the bus to Bengaluru with the passengers. By 9 am, the relatives of the patient arrived and discharged her from there and took her to another hospital. They dropped Baiju at the Hosur railway station. He took a train to Bengaluru Peenya where the bus was parked.

A thousand congratulations to Girish and Baiju who extended a helping hand.

During the floods in Bengaluru too, they were at the forefront bringing assistance to Malayalis.