Kottarakkara:
As many as 38 persons were injured when a tourist bus carrying Sivagiri pilgrims from Adimali in Idukki district turned turtle at Injakkadu near here on Friday.
Two passengers, Shyamala and Leela, who suffered serious injuries, have been admitted to the district hospital.
The pilgrims from sakha number 1809 of SNDP Union, at Vattappara in Idukki, were the injured. The accident occurred at 5.30 a.m. on MC Road, when the Sivagiri-bound bus lost control and slipped of the road.
The local people, police and fire force had to struggle for over one hour to rescue the injured from the bus.
The windshield of the bus had to be broken to evacuate the injured from the bus.
The injured were rushed to the Kottarakkara Taluk Hospital. The pilgrimage team had left Vattarappara around 9 p.m. on Thursday, led by Sakha secretary Sreenivasan. Police said that it was suspected the driver might have fallen asleep.