Four passengers were killed and two others were critically injured when a private bus plunged into a gorge in Yercaud on Tuesday evening.
The police said that around 6 p.m., a private bus was heading to Salem from Yercaud with 56 passengers on board. While the bus reached the 13th hairpin bend, the driver lost control of the vehicle in the turning, and the vehicle hit the sidewall. In the impact, the bus fell into the gorge, and landed on the 11th hairpin bend.
In the accident, more than 50 passengers were injured, and four died on the spot. The injured were taken to Salem Government Hospital in ‘108’ ambulances and in some private vehicles of Yercaud residents. At the hospital, 46 persons are getting treatment, two of them in a critical condition.
The deceased were identified as S. Karthick (35) of Andipatti in Salem; C. Muneeshwaran (11) of Tiruchengode in Namakkal district; K. Hari Ram (57) of Kannankurichi in Salem; and R. Madhu (60) of Kitchipalayam in Salem.
The injured were identified as Sri Bhagawan (30), Ramesh (40), and Kuldeep (34), residents of New Delhi; Savithri (50), Kuppan (70), Pushpa (46), Kandasamy (82), Kannan (54), Vijaya (51), Vettrivel (26) and Solaippan (63), residents of Salem district; Velammal (50), Subramani (54), Ruby (54), Sekar (54), and Ganesan (60), residents of Pappireddipatti in Dharmapuri district; and Kowsik (18), resident of Tiruchengode in Namakkal district.
The Yercaud police registered a case and are investigating further.
