Two engineering college students who were travelling on the footboard of a private bus died after the bus hit a sand-laden lorry while overtaking near Minnampalli on Salem – Ulundurpet National Highway 79 on Tuesday.
N. Elavarasan (19) was killed on the spot while G. Arul Prakash (19) died on the way to hospital. Another injured student Poovizhiraj (21) was undergoing treatment. The accident took place when the students were about to get down at their college bus stop on the Attur – Salem bound bus. It led to a protest by college students outside the Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College Hospital as they blocked the road disrupting traffic for over an hour.