KOZHIKODE: Locals, who rescued the driver and fished other three bodies, claim that the rescue operations from Fire and Rescue were not satisfactory. Even before the firemen arrived at the scene, they had already rescued the driver. Four units of Fire and Rescue had reached the spot, from Nadapuram, Panoor, Kuthuparamba and Thalassery. Locals said the marshy river bed made the rescue operations difficult and it took hours for the Fire and Rescue team to recover the bus.
By the time the rescue workers could take out the passengers, three of them were dead. Since the accident took place around 5.45am, residents were not aware of it and it took nearly an hour for the rescue operations to begin. Since the bus was immersed fully, none noticed it in the beginning, they said. However, the officials maintained that that they have done all that's possible with the limited equipment and time.
