Bantwal : It was a lucky escape for several people travelling in a private bus bound to Mangalore from Vittal on July 7, Sunday. But not for the trees of a nearby plantation, they would have suffered the worst in a  mishap that took place  near Kadumutt in Kolnad village.

According to eyewitnesses, the driver of the bus which operated via Salettur route, all of a sudden veered the vehicle to the extreme right side of the road sensing danger  from an oncoming Mahindra Bolero vehicle. However, in the process, the tyres of the bus were caught in the potholes and eventually the bus leaned, but was protected by the trees of a nearby plantation. Passengers of the bus said the bus would have certainly rolled down into the plantation resulting in a major tragedy, if  not for the trees.

Traffic on the roué came to a grinding halt for some time owing to the mishap. The Vittal Police helped in restoring traffic to normalcy.