CHENNAI: A 42-year-old woman travelling on an MTC bus escaped with injuries after she slipped through a hole that suddenly opened when the floorboard below her seat broke when the bus was moving. Fortunately for the passenger, she was seated on the last row, behind the rear tyres, which saved her from coming under the wheels.

The incident happened near Aminjikarai in the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) bus route number 59 plying from Tiruverkadu towards Vallalar Nagar.

Shocked after seeing the woman falling into the hole and hanging for her dear life, her fellow commuters immediately raised alarm to alert the staff who brought the bus to a halt. The injured woman, identified as Shama, was rescued and treated at a government hospital nearby.

Police sources said that the woman did not suffer any grievous injuries, and added that she did not prefer a police complaint. The passengers were transferred to another bus to continue their journey. Later in the day, MTC suspended the manager and technical assistant of Basin Bridge bus depot for overlooking the maintenance.

The incident received swift and widespread condemnation from the people who took to social media to question their safety while on public transport. Many recalled the tragic death of S Sruthi, a Class 2 student, who died after falling through a gaping hole in the school bus on July 25, 2012.

Several opposition leaders, including State BJP president K Annamalai, flayed the government for poor maintenance of buses.