Bus goes atop Udyavar bridge railings
Udupi, Apr 24: Not even before the news of 7 deaths in one of the most ghastly accidents in the history of undivided Dakshina Kannada in recent times spread across, news of another mishap started doing circles all around. But this time destiny favoured about 25 passengers who were travelling in a recklessly driven bus. Had it not been for pure luck, at least a few persons would have surely met their watery grave at Udyavar on Monday April 23.
A private bus speeding from Kaup to the city rammed into the railings of the Udyavar bridge while trying to overtake another vehicle. The bus was speeding at such a pace that after hitting the railings, it climbed atop and half the part of the bus was hanging in limbo between the bridge and swelling Udyavar river.
But as said earlier unlike the 7 passengers travelling in a rickshaw at Hejamady, here fate spared the 25 passengers who were sitting in the bus with bated breaths. Most of them might have even lost hope of survival after the tragedy. But the pipes attached to the bridge railings prevented the bus from falling into river. But for the pipes, the locals said, there would have been high casualties.
It took a little while for the passengers to alight and come out of the bus. All might have thanked their stars for having rescued them from the jaws of death.
However, the accident resulted in a traffic jam for long. A long queue of vehicles was seen along the National Highway 17 on either side of bridge. Buses and other private vehicles plying to and from Mangalore were caught on the road for almost an hour. Since some vehicles moved through the Manipur and Korangrapadi route, the traffic block was cleared soon.