KSRTC issues press statement following tragic Talapady accident, says brakes did not fail
Mangaluru: A tragic accident involving a KSRTC bus on the Kasaragod–Mangaluru route claimed the lives of six people, including two passengers who were travelling in an autorickshaw, on Thursday afternoon near Talapady toll gate.
According to officials, the bus (registration number KA19F3407) belonging to the Mangaluru first Division was being driven by Nijaligappa Chalavadi, a senior driver with 14 years of service. The vehicle, deployed on Route No. 129/130 (Kasaragod–Mangaluru), had left Kasaragod around 12:30 pm and reached Talapady toll by 1:45 pm when the accident occurred.
Preliminary reports state that as the bus approached 150 metres before the toll, an autorickshaw suddenly entered the road. In an attempt to avoid a direct collision, the driver applied brakes, but the bus hit the auto. The impact caused the bus to go out of control, moving backwards on a slope before crashing into another autorickshaw and passengers waiting for buses by the roadside.
Two passengers inside the autorickshaw died on the spot. Four others, including the autorickshaw driver, sustained grievous injuries and were rushed to the hospital. However, despite treatment, all four later succumbed. Two more injured passengers, hit by the reversing bus, are currently undergoing treatment.
Officials confirmed that the bus had only recently been cleared in its fitness certificate (FC) renewal on August 26, ruling out any technical fault. The vehicle had completed 540 km in 10 trips since it was pressed into service on August 27.
Authorities have attributed the accident to the driver’s overspeeding and negligence. The corporation has assured that medical expenses of the injured will be borne by KSRTC.
Expressing sorrow over the incident, KSRTC Managing Director Akram Pasha said, “Despite regular training and awareness programmes for drivers, such accidents are unfortunate. We pray for peace to the departed souls and strength to the families. Strict action will be taken against the driver found guilty.”
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Former South Korean President Yoon receives life sentence for imposing martial law
Seoul (AP): Former President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to life in prison for his brief imposition of martial law in December 2024.
Judge Jee Kui-youn said he found Yoon guilty of rebellion for mobilizing military and police forces in an illegal attempt to seize the liberal-led National Assembly, arrest politicians and establish unchecked power for a “considerable” time.
Yoon is likely to appeal the verdict.
A special prosecutor had demanded the death penalty for Yoon, saying his actions posed a threat to the country's democracy and deserved the most serious punishment available, but most analysts expect a life sentence since the poorly-planned power grab did not result in casualties.
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South Korea has not executed a death row inmate since 1997, in what is widely seen as a de facto moratorium on capital punishment amid calls for its abolition.
As Yoon arrived in court, hundreds of police officers watched closely as Yoon supporters rallied outside a judicial complex, their cries rising as the prison bus transporting him drove past. Yoon's critics gathered nearby, demanding the death penalty.
The court also convicted and sentenced several former military and police officials involved in enforcing Yoon's martial law decree, including ex-Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun, who received a 30-year jail term for his central role in planning the measure and mobilizing the military.
Yoon, a staunch conservative, has defended his martial law decree as necessary to stop liberals, whom he described as “anti-state” forces, from obstructing his agenda with their legislative majority.
The decree lasted about six hours before being lifted after a quorum of lawmakers managed to break through a military blockade and unanimously voted to lift the measure.
Yoon was suspended from office on December 14, 2024, after being impeached by lawmakers and was formally removed by the Constitutional Court in April 2025. He has been under arrest since last July while facing multiple criminal trials, with the rebellion charge carrying the most severe punishment.
Last month, Yoon was sentenced to five years in prison for resisting arrest, fabricating the martial law proclamation and sidestepping a legally mandated full Cabinet meeting before declaring the measure.
The Seoul Central Court has also convicted two of Yoon's Cabinet members in other cases. That includes Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who received a 23-year prison sentence for attempting to legitimize the decree by forcing it through a Cabinet Council meeting, falsifying records and lying under oath. Han has appealed the verdict.
