Six injured as bus falls into gorge

Six persons were injured on Wednesday when a bus in which they were travelling fell into a 60-feet-deep gorge near Thamarassery, about 60 km from here, police said.

The incident happened when the private bus en route to Kozhikode from Bangalore hit a rock before falling into the gorge while negotiating a hairpin curve on Wayanad-Kozhikode highway, they said.

The vehicle had only few passengers as it had earlier developed an engine snag following which the bus crew had asked most occupants to alight in the wee hours, police said.

The mishap occurred after bus proceeded on its onward journey. Rescue teams from Kozhikode and Wayanad rushed the injured to nearby hospitals. The condition of the bus driver is stated to be critical, police said.