Published Aug 08, 2026 | 2:13 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 08, 2026 | 2:13 PM
KSRTC bus overturns near Bidadi. (Supplied)
Synopsis: Four passengers reportedly sustained serious injuries, while several others are said to be in critical condition. One passenger reportedly suffered injuries that resulted in the amputation of a leg. The injured passengers were taken to Rajarajeshwari Medical College Hospital and Bidadi Kempanna Hospital for treatment.
Two KSRTC employees were killed and around 20 passengers injured after a deluxe bus travelling from Kozhikode to Bengaluru overturned near Bidadi in Karnataka on Saturday, 8 August morning.
The deceased have been identified as driver K. Mithilesh, a native of Vellayil in Kozhikode, and conductor N.M. Arun, a native of the Kovoor-Chevayur area of Kozhikode.
The bus was carrying 29 passengers when it met with the accident on the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway.
According to preliminary information, the bus lost control, hit the divider on the side of the carriageway and overturned to the right.
Four passengers reportedly sustained serious injuries, while several others are said to be in critical condition. One passenger reportedly suffered injuries that resulted in the amputation of a leg. The injured passengers were taken to Rajarajeshwari Medical College Hospital and Bidadi Kempanna Hospital for treatment.
There were allegations that the bus was travelling at high speed before the accident. The driver of a private bus travelling behind the KSRTC bus reportedly told authorities that the KSRTC vehicle was speeding. However, the allegation has not been independently confirmed.
Officials from Kozhikode reached the accident site after receiving information about the crash. The Bathery District Transport Officer is also expected to visit the site. There are also questions about the driver’s duty schedule.
Mithilesh, who was attached to the KSRTC Kozhikode unit, is learnt to have returned to Kozhikode on Friday morning after completing a Mysuru service before reporting for the Bengaluru service at night.
The KSRTC and police have launched separate investigations to determine the exact circumstances leading to the accident, including whether speed, driver fatigue or other factors played a role.
Also Read: In Kerala’s relief camps, caste proves harder to wash away: Inside flood-hit Pathanamthitta
(With inputs from Dileep V Kumar)
