Thiruvananthapuram, March 26: The driver of the ill-fated bus which plunged into a river at Thazhathangadi in Kottayam killing 10 people on Tuesday afternoon may have dozed off while at the wheels leading to the tragedy.
This was the preliminary finding of the central zone transport commissioner P K Stephen who inquired into the accident.
Stephen said that the bus was found to have had no technical problems unlike what the driver, Radhakrishnan, had claimed and it was highly likely that he dozed off and lost control. The bus had hit an electric pole to the left side of the narrow road, hit a big stone and moved about 15 metres before it plunged into the Meenachil river.
“There is no indication the driver had applied the brake when it hit the pole, the stone or while it was moving forward. We found that the bus had no trouble with its engine, brake or steering. The driver also did not seem to have had sufficient experience,’’ Stephen said.
-Agencies