Sabarimala bus collides with lorry, plunges into gorge in Kollam's Aryankavu; one dead, 18 injured

Kollam: A bus carrying Sabarimala pilgrims collided with a lorry and plunged 100 metres into a gorge on the National Highway at Aryankavu on Wednesday morning. One person was killed, and two others were critically injured in the accident. The deceased, identified as Dhanapalan, hailed from Salem in Tamil Nadu. Of the 30 passengers onboard, 18 sustained injuries. While 16 injured were admitted to Punalur Taluk Hospital, two were rushed to the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital.

"This is an accident-prone area. We had previously conducted a meeting and requested authorities to provide an ambulance here due to the frequency of such incidents," Suja Thomas, President of Aryankavu Panchayat, told Manorama News.

The private bus from Salem was returning after a pilgrimage to Sabarimala. Reports suggest the accident occurred when the cement lorry approached from the wrong side and crashed into the bus around 3.45 am on Wednesday. The bus plunged into a gorge beside a dried-up riverbed.