Neyyattinkara: Nearly 40 people were injured in two separate bus accidents in the Thiruvananthapuram district on Thursday.

As many as 20 persons were injured when a KSRTC bus and a Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC)-bound bus collided with each other on the National Highway near Neyyattinkara the other day. The traffic on the NH was disrupted for two hours roughly. School buses and other buses were stranded in the traffic jam.

The accident occurred on a sharp curve on the NH near the Neyyattinkara bus stand at 5.45 am on Thursday.  KSRTC bus driver Anil Kumar, 45, of Kulathur and VSSC bus driver Suresh Kumar, 56, of Petta, received injuries in the legs. Both the drivers, who were first admitted to the Neyyattinkara General Hospital, were shifted to the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital later. The other injured passengers were also admitted to the hospital.

The KSRTC bus was bound for Kottarakkara from Parassala. Many people sustained injuries on their faces.  Its conductor Praveen also received minor injuries in the accident.

The front side of both the buses was mangled on the impact of the accident.

Head-on collision

In another accident near Nedumangad, two KSRTC buses collided head-on at the VIP curve on Patham Kallu Road, resulting in the injury of 18 persons.

KSRTC buses conducting service on the routes, Thiruvananthapuram-Ponmudi and Palode-Thiruvananthapuram, collided with each other on Thursday at 10.30 am. It is said that the accident was caused when the bus coming from the Palode side tried to overtake an autorickshaw.

The traffic on the route was disrupted for an hour due to a mishap.  Normal traffic was restored after great efforts by the police and the KSRTC employees.

Dr Lubina, 43, a doctor with the Tholicode Community Health Centre, has been admitted to the Medical College Hospital. About 17 others were admitted to the District Hospital.