Kerala Bus Driver, Conductor Killed as Vehicle Crashes on Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway
Fatigue suspected as KSRTC bus rams signboard, injuring 20 passengers.
A driver and conductor employed by the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation were killed and 20 passengers injured after a bus crashed into an overhead signboard on the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway on Saturday morning. The accident occurred at approximately 6.30 am near Avaragere Bridge in Bidadi.
The deceased were identified as driver Mithilesh and conductor N M Arun, both attached to the corporation’s Kozhikode depot. The Super Deluxe bus was travelling from Kozhikode in Kerala to Bengaluru when the driver reportedly lost control, causing the vehicle to swerve towards the left side of the expressway.
The bus then struck a large overhead signboard used to display live vehicle speeds. The impact severely damaged the front portion of the vehicle and trapped members of the operating staff and several passengers. Police said preliminary findings suggested that driver fatigue may have contributed to the crash.
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Investigators suspect that Mithilesh may have fallen asleep while driving, although the precise cause has not yet been formally established. Authorities are expected to examine the damaged bus, conditions along the expressway and other available evidence before reaching a conclusion about the sequence of events that led to the collision.
Local residents and passing motorists rushed to assist those inside the wrecked bus immediately after the crash. They helped pull injured passengers and transport staff from the vehicle before emergency personnel shifted them to a hospital in Bidadi. Arun died at the scene, while Mithilesh succumbed to his injuries after being admitted to the hospital.
The injured passengers received medical treatment, but officials did not immediately provide details about the severity of their conditions. Bidadi police registered a case and launched an investigation into the accident. The inquiry will seek to determine whether fatigue, speed, a mechanical problem or any other factor was responsible for the driver losing control of the bus.
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