Kottayam, March 23: Nine passengers, including four women and a child, drowned when a private bus with about 40 persons on board plunged into the Meenachil river here today.
One person, who was engaged in rescue operations, also collapsed and died, police said.
The bus was coming from Cherthala in Alappuzha district to Kottayam along the rural route when it fell into the river after hitting an electric pole, they said.
Eight bodies were kept at the Medical College hospital while the rest at the district hospital here. The deceased include the conductor of the bus, hospital sources said.
Twenty persons, including the driver, were admitted in the two hospitals.
Rescuers, including Naval divers from Kochi, were still searching in the river at Thazhathangadi to ascertain if more bodies were trapped in the slush, the police said.
–Agencies