64 Sabarimala Pilgrims Injured As Bus Falls Into Gorge In Kerala

As many as 64 people were injured, some seriously, as a bus carrying Sabarimala pilgrims from Tamil Nadu fell into a gorge in Pathanamthitta district on Tuesday, police said. The accident occurred when the bus carrying pilgrims was returning after darshan at Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala, they said.

A total of 64 people including nine children and two staff were on board when the bus veered off the road and fell into the gorge in Elavunkal near Kanamala Naranamthodu at around 1.30 PM.

The injured pilgrims were shifted to the hospitals by the police, fire and rescue officials and locals.

The Pathanamthitta District Public Relations Department said the pilgrims are from Mayiladuthurai district in Tamil Nadu.

In a Facebook post, State Health Minister Veena George, who coordinated the rescue operations with various departments said 11 pilgrims have been shifted to Government Medical College Hospital, Kottayam.

Police said 48 pilgrims were brought to the General Hospital, Pathanamthitta. Medical experts from Government Medical College Hospital, Konni, reached the General Hospital to provide proper medical care. Some injured pilgrims were taken to a hospital at Erumely. Those who suffered minor wounds were discharged, officials said.

State Ministers including George, Agriculture Minister P Prasad and Devaswom Minister K Radhakrishnan visited the injured pilgrims at the hospital here.

Quoting the initial assessment of the officials from the Motor Vehicle Department, Mr Prasad said the accident occurred as the driver lost control of the bus due to brake failure.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)