Seven persons, including two women, were killed and 37 others were injured as two private buses collided head-on on the Salem–Bengaluru National Highway at Mamangam in the city in the small hours of Saturday. Four of the dead persons belonged to the same family.
The police said the accident occurred around 1.15 a.m. when the driver of a private bus going towards Dharmapuri rammed a parked lorry, jumped the median and collided head-on with an omni bus going to Palakkad from Bengaluru. The omni bus overturned in the impact.
Seven persons, all hailing from Kerala and travelling in the omni bus, were killed on the spot. Their names were given as Monsy alias George Joseph, 60; his wife Alfonsa, 55; their daughter Tinnu Joseph, 32, and her husband Siji Vincent, 35, all from Kottayam; S. Jem Jacob, 58 of Karikulampalli, Shanu V. Cherian, 28, of Kottayam; and John, 40, of Patthanamthitta. Sithan, three-year-old son of Ms. Joseph and Mr. Vincent, survived the accident and was handed over to Salem Life Line Trust. The boy was handed over to his relatives.
Mr. Cherian, a member of the DYFI from Kottayam, got married recently. His wife Lincy suffered an injury and was admitted to a private hospital.
22 admitted
Thirty eight persons, including 11 women, travelling in both the buses were injured and were rushed to the Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College Hospital (GMKMCH). Of them, 17 were admitted to the government hospital while five got admitted in a private hospital. The rest were discharged after being given first aid.
While six of the injured were from Karnataka, 16 were from Kerala and the rest from Tamil Nadu.
Commissioner of Police K. Shankar posted police personnel at the government hospital to help the relatives of the victims and the injured. Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami visited the medical college hospital in the evening and consoled the injured. M.K. Rajendran, Dean (full additional charge) of the GMKMCH and P.V. Dhanapal, medical superintendent, explained the treatment being given to them.
District Collector Rohini R. Bhajibhakare and Mr. Shankar visited the injured in the government hospital early in the morning. According to hospital sources, six bodies were handed over to the relatives after post-mortem. Suramangalam Police are investigating.
