Idukki: Quick thinking by a group of college students prevented a tourist bus from falling into a 200-ft gorge near Adimaly here on Thursday.
The bus carrying about 50 Karnataka-based college students went off the road while giving way to a private bus and was briefly tilted toward a gorge on the Kochi-Dhanushkodi National Highway.
“Tyres on one side of the bus were not touching the ground and the vehicle was in a tilted position for 10 minutes. The students responded quickly and moved to that side of the bus where the tyres were in the air. That prevented the vehicle from falling on its side. If the bus had tilted further, it might have fallen into the depth,” said Adimaly Sub Inspector of Police, Siju Jacob.
There were 46 students and two teachers besides the driver and his assistants.
The bus remained stuck on bushes and creepers between Iruttukanam and Aanaviratti. Fire & Rescue personnel reached within 10 minutes and pulled the bus back to its normal position with the help of locals and the police.
“The bus was not damaged and was pulled back onto the road. In the 35 km stretch on this NH from Iruttukanam to Neriyamangalam, both sides are filled with bushes and creepers and bus drivers, especially those new to this area, don’t know about the steep slopes and gorges on both sides of the road,” SI said.
After an hour-long rescue operation, the tour party continued its journey back home, the cops said.
