Three persons were killed and 42 others injured when a Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation bus collided head-on with a speeding lorry at Maaraanthai, about 15 kilometres from here, on Tirunelveli–Tenkasi highway on Thursday evening.
Police said the bus, proceeding from Tenkasi to Tirunelveli collided with the lorry, going from Tirunelveli to Shencottai around 5.30 p.m. As many as 45 persons, including the drivers of both the vehicles, were injured.
On seeing the accident, Kennedy Babu of Palayamkottai, driver of another TNSTC bus, stopped the vehicle and took the victims in his bus to Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital. However, the injured bus driver, Pon Shanmuga Kumar (45) of Pethanadarpatti near Paavoorchathram, the lorry driver and an aged woman passenger died on the way to the hospital.
“We’ve ensured the best possible treatment to all the injured while the condition of four of them is critical,” said L.D. Thulasiram, Dean, TVMCH. On receiving information about the accident, the TVMCH administration made all arrangements to treat the victims. As soon as the bus and ambulances carrying the victims entered the accident and trauma care unit, the hospital staff and the members of Tamil Nadu Thowheed Jamaath took the victims to the treatment point.
Some of passengers of the ill-fated bus said a “race” between the bus driver and the driver of a private engineering college bus resulted in the accident.
The diesel tank of the lorry was completely damaged in the impact and the fuel leaking from the tank stagnated near the accident site. However, the passengers had a miraculous escape from a possible fire.
