Around 50 passengers of a BMTC bus had a close call after it broke through the parapet of a bridge and plunged into the Arkavathy river in Bengaluru.

The incident occurred at Tavarakere on Magadi Road on Friday morning as per a report in The Hindu.

A two-year-old girl along with the bus driver, Venkatesh, and the woman conductor, Bhavana C, sustained severe injuries out of a total of nearly 25 persons who were hurt. The three were admitted to a local hospital and are reportedly out of danger.

Around 9.30am, the bus which was on its way to Kengeri, met with a speeding goods truck coming from the opposite direction, while approaching a narrow bridge on Magadi road, the report says.

In order to avoid a collision, the bus driver moved to the left but in the process, the bus broke through the parapet of the bridge and plunged 20 feet into the river.

Officials said it was a lucky escape for the passengers since the riverbed was covered with muck, which cushioned the impact of the landing of the bus.

Sharanappa, a passenger, said: “The door of the bus was facing the ground. The only way out was through the windows on the other side. Some of us broke open the windows, and helped others out.”

Mostly daily wage labourers and staff of government offices were present in the bus and it was a miracle that there were no casualties, said a senior police officer.