Six passengers, including two women, were killed and 10 others were injured when the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) bus in which they were travelling rammed the rear of a container lorry near Maduranthakam in Chengalpattu district on Friday.
The bus was travelling from Koyambedu to Chidambaram. Around 7:45 a.m., it rammed the moving lorry on the Chennai-Tiruchi National Highway. In the impact, the left portion of the bus was completely ripped apart. The passengers were bleeding and battling for life as rescuers arrived on the spot.
Police personnel and members of the public rushed the injured to the Government Chengalpattu Hospital. The Acharapakkam police registered a case and began a probe. Traffic was affected on the National Highway due to the accident.
The police said the deceased were J. Manikandan, 53, of Cuddalore; N. Venkatesan, 38, of Thiruvallur; K. Soundarya, 23, of Panruti; Krosha, 43, of Saidapet in Chennai; B. Ekambaram, 70, of Maduranthakam; and an unidentified person. Of the 10 injured persons, nine were undergoing treatment at hospitals. One of them was in a critical condition.
Superintendent of Police, Chengalpattu, Suguna Singh, visited the spot and held inquiries. “We, along with the Transport Department, are conducting a joint inspection of the accident site to find out the cause of the accident. We will proceed based on the inspection report and register a case against those responsible,” Mr. Singh said.
“I am pained on hearing the loss of lives due to the road accident that occurred near Chengalpattu. My condolences to the bereaved families who lost their relatives. I pray for speedy recovery of the injured,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted.
Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin also condoled the deaths. In his statement, Mr. Ravi said, “I offer my deepest condolences to the bereaved families of those who died in the accident. In this hour of grief, I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured.”
Mr. Stalin wished the injured a speedy recovery. He also announced a compensation of ₹1 lakh and ₹50,000 to those who suffered serious and minor injuries, respectively.
