IDUKKI: Four people were killed and several others injured when a state-owned KSRTC bus plunged into a gorge near Pullupara in this hill district early on Monday, police said.
The bus carrying 34 passengers was returning to Mavelikara in Alappuzha district after a trip to Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu, when the incident occurred around 6 am, they said.
All the deceased were from Mavelikara.
The bodies of the deceased have been shifted to a private hospital in Mundakayam, and will be handed over to the relatives after the postmortem, they added.
The injured were also admitted to the hospitals at Mundakkayam and Kanjirappally.
According to preliminary investigation, brake failure caused the accident on the steep stretch of road between Kuttikkanam and Mundakkayam.
Meanwhile, Transport Minister K B Ganesh Kumar directed the Joint Transport Commissioner (Enforcement) to conduct an immediate inquiry into the incident.
Ministers Roshy Augustine and V N Vasavan and District Collector V Vighneswari visited the injured at the hospitals.