Three persons including a woman were killed in the wee hours of Tuesday in Kerala’s Kannur district after the bus they were travelling in fell into the Mayyazhi river. The accident took place at 5.45am at Peringathoor on Tuesday.

The private bus owned by Lama Travels, traveling to Koothuparanma from Bengaluru broke the rails of a bridge in Peringathoor before falling into the river. The deceased were identified as Jithesh (bus cleaner), Prajith, and Hemalata (son and mother)— all residents of Koothuparamba town in the district, reported Mathrubhumi.

The three were supposed to get down at Chockli.

At the time of the accident, only six passengers were on board the bus. Most passengers had alighted at Thalassery.

The driver of the bus, Devadas who was injured in the accident, has been taken to a hospital and is being treated for minor injuries.

According to Manorama the remaining passengers were rescued and given medical care.

The Times of India reported that despite fire and rescue personnel reaching the spot, the lack of equipment led to the delay in search and rescue operations. It was only when the bus was fished out that the bodies were discovered.

The delay in rescue operations triggered protests by residents at Peringathoor. Police later pacified protesters even as the search for survivors continued.  

Quoting the police, Kaumudi reported that the accident may have been caused after the driver fell asleep on the wheel.

According to the Union Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways, 4287 lives were lost and 44,108 people were injured in road accidents in Kerala in 2016.

The same report states that India witnesses an average of 1317 road accidents daily with 17 lives lost every hour.

Over the last 10 years, the number of fatal road accidents in the country has only increased, the report said.