As many as 43 people suffered injuries after a bus carrying Sabarimala pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh met with an accident and overturned near Laha in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district on Saturday. Among them, the condition of an eight-year-old boy, identified as Manikandan, is critical.

The mishap occurred when 44 pilgrims from Vijayawada, were on their way back after offering prayers at the hill shrine, police said. The incident is suspected to have happened after the driver lost control of the vehicle while negotiating a curve on the route. Health Minister Veena George said all those in the bus were rescued within an hour of the accident and the vehicle was shifted from the accident site by 10 am.