Sabarimala: More than 150 pilgrims were reportedly crammed into a single low-floor KSRTC bus on the Nilakkal–Pampa chain service route on Tuesday and early Wednesday, leaving passengers struggling to breathe and unable to move. A conductor admitted that the bus was filled far beyond its capacity as crowds surged.

The massive pilgrim turnout for Sabarimala darshan overwhelmed KSRTC’s transport arrangements, with heavy congestion continuing until Wednesday afternoon. The journey from Pampa to Chengannur took over four hours. Many pilgrims from neighbouring states were unable to catch their reserved train connections due to delays.

For the annual pilgrimage season, KSRTC had deployed 500 buses, including 140 non-AC buses, 30 AC low-floor buses for chain services, and 203 long-distance ser

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