: Five persons were killed on the spot and four others injured when the autorickshaw they were travelling by collided with a private bus near Vazhapadi here on Wednesday.
The accident took place near Chandrapillai Valasu around 9 am, when the bus from Salem to Belur hit the autorickshaw that was running from Belur to Neermullikuttai with nine passengers.
The autorickshaw was completely damaged and the driver and four passengers, including three women, died on the spot.
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The deceased were identified as driver R. Venkatesan (22), R. Krishnan (52), Jeyanthi (22), anganwadi worker Kaliyammal (65) and another woman Selvam (50). Jeyanthi, a school teacher, got married last week and was returning with her husband A. Murugan (27) from a temple.
Four passengers who suffered injuries were S. Sathish (18), A. Murugesan, R. Jayakumar (18) and Jeyanthi’s husband Murugan.
They were admitted to the Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College Hospital in Salem and undergoing treatment.
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Stating that over-speeding of the bus was the cause for frequent accidents in the area, the villagers pelted stones and damaged the bus completely.
They also resorted to road blockage for about four hours. Superintendent of Police G. Subbulakshmi along with police personnel rushed to the spot and pacified them.
Officials from the Regional Transport Office also inspected the spot.
It is said that in the absence of adequate transportation, the villagers were forced to depend on autorickshaws that carry passengers beyond the permitted capacity.