Kochi: A school bus turned turtle on Tuesday morning after it lost control while negotiating an uphill road at Vengoor near Perumbavoor, resulting in the death of a 42-year old woman and injuries to 16 others. The deceased was identified as Elsy Aby (42), a peon with the private school in Perumbavoor. A teacher, identified as Smisha Nair (43), who was walking along with Elsy to the school campus, too suffered multiple limb injuries and was admitted to a private hospital near Aluva. The rest suffered only minor injuries and were discharged from hospital after being given treatment.
According to cops, the accident took place at 7.45 am when the bus driver, while going uphill along the road leading to the school campus, lost control when the vehicle engine got turned off. The bus began to roll backwards and toppled to the side after hitting a boundary wall. “The peon and the teacher were walking along the road and got trapped under the bus. They were rushed to a hospital at Aluva,” police said. Elsy suffered severe pelvic injuries and succumbed to her injuries after reaching the hospital. Smisha, who suffered multiple injuries to her limbs, underwent surgery.
Elsy Aby
A preliminary probe revealed that the bus driver lost control of the vehicle after its engine got turned off while shifting gears on the uphill road. “The bus was hired by Santom School, Perumbavoor, to transport the children. The regular driver was unwell and was replaced by another one,” police said. The Kuruppampady Police booked the driver Satheesh B, a native of Kayamkulam, under sections 279 (Rash driving) and 304 (Punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the IPC.
