Bengaluru: Around 25 people were injured when a Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) bus broke through the parapet of a bridge and plunged into the Arkavarthy river near Tavarakere on Magadi Road on Friday. They were admitted to a local hospital and said to be out of danger.

The BMTC bus was on its way to Kengeri from Nelamangala through Tavarakere. Tthe bus encountered a speeding goods truck, coming from the opposite direction, while approaching the narrow bridge on Magadi Road

The BMTC bus driver veered to the left to prevent a collision. Eyewitnesses said the truck brushed against the bus and the drivers’ doors of both vehicles were severely damaged. The bus then broke through the weak parapet of the bridge and plunged 20ft into the river.

According to the police, most passengers were daily wage labourers, homemakers and staff of government offices. “It is a miracle that there were no casualties,” a senior police officer said.

The Tavarekere police said the truck driver fled the spot leaving behind his vehicle. The police have seized the lorry and are on the lookout for the driver.