Five persons, including an 18-month-old baby boy, died and 22 others were injured when a van rammed a bus at Achirapakkam in Kancheepuram district late on Sunday.
The accident took place on Grand Southern Trunk Road at the Arappedu village close to midnight on Sunday.
Kancheepuram district traffic police sources said the accident took place around 11.45 p.m. when the van driver, Manoharan of Thirumalairajapuram near Kumbakonam, attempted to overtake a bus that was on its way to Karaikudi in Sivaganga district from Chennai.
However, the driver is reported to have lost control of the vehicle and rammed the State Express Transport Corporation bus.
The names of the dead were given as Rahul, 10, Reena, 16, and Jacquline, 36, Rohit, the baby boy, all travelling in the van, and Ramarajan, 34, of Palakuruchi in Pudukottai and travelling by the bus. While Ramarajan was critically injured and died on the way to the hospital, the others were killed on the spot.
The police said that 26 people were travelling by the van when the accident occurred. Six of the 22 injured were rushed to Chengalpattu Government Medical College Hospital for treatment and the others were taken to the Melmaruvathur hospital, the police said.
The van, the police said, was hired by Arokiyaraj of Vadakarai near Kumbakonam. He was travelling with his relatives and a group of pilgrims from his village and returning to their native place in the van after taking part in celebrations at a church in Puzhal in Chennai.
In the impact of the accident, the front portion of the van was completely damaged.
