KOLLAM: Three people were killed and 33 passengers suffered injuries in a collision between a KSRTC Super Express bus and a truck near Ithikkara bridge at Kottiyam in the district around 6.30am on Monday.The bus was coming from Mananthavady in Wayanad to Thiruvananthapuram . Bus conductor P T Subash (38) of Thekkeputhenpurayil, Thamarasseri in Kozhikode , KSRTC bus driver Abdul Azeez (49) of Kallil Puthenveetil, Malayanna, Malappuram , and truck driver Ganesh (34) of Kesavapuram Kovil Theruvu, Puliyara, Thirunelveli, were the deceased.While Subash and Azeez died on the spot, Ganesh breathed his last at a private hospital at Kottiyam.It took more than an hour to take out the truck driver who got trapped inside the vehicle. Though he was rushed to a private hospital at Kottiyam, his life could not be saved.The bus collided with the truck which was heading towards Chamakada market in Kollam. The injured people were admitted to KIMS Hospital, Kottiyam and District Hospital, Kollam. The condition of five people was said to be serious.The traffic along the national highway was affected for more than two hours. Fire force team from Kollam and Kottiyam rushed to the spot for rescue operation.The CCTV cameras installed near Ithikkara bridge have visuals of the bus moving fast towards the right immediately after crossing the bridge and colliding with the truck. It is believed that the bus driver had fallen asleep.Transport minister A K Saseendran, fisheries minister J Mercykuttyamma and KSRTC CMD Tomin J Thachankary visited the injured at the hospitals.

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