Idukki (Kerala) | Around 50 Ayyappa devotees from Tamil Nadu were injured after a bus in which they were travelling overturned at Kollam-Theni National Highway near here on Thursday, Fire and Rescue Service officials said.

The condition of one passenger is critical, while others suffered minor injuries in the accident that took place between Kuttikkanam and Valanjakanam, they added.

Officials at the Peermade fire station said the accident occurred around 5.45 am, when the bus carrying devotees from Dindigul in Tamil Nadu was on its way to Sabarimala.

The bus driver failed to manoeuvre a tight curve, and the vehicle lost control and overturned. Police and fire force personnel soon reached the place and rescued the passengers, who were shifted to a private hospital in Mundakayam, Kottayam district. Later, using a crane, the bus was shifted off the road to restore the traffic.

Police officials at Peermade station said that other state bus drivers, due to overspeeding, often fail to negotiate the curves in the National Highway stretch, leading to accidents. Police have launched a detailed probe into the incident.