Three persons, a cow and a calf were killed on the spot and 41 private mill workers were injured when a bus from a private mill and a goods van collided head-on at Thennampatti village near Vadamadurai on Tuesday.
The deceased were van driver P. Mayil (25) and S. Pandi (45) of Pudhu Komberipatti, and A. Kamaraj (55) of Pethapatti, who travelled in the van carrying cattle.
Chinnasamy Gounder of Pudhu Komberiapatti, another occupant of the van, who suffered grievous injuries, was referred to Madurai Government Rajaji Hospital after first aid at Dindigul Government Hospital.
All injured below 20
All the injured – 25 women and 15 men, workers of the private mill – were aged about 20 years or below. They were admitted to Dindigul GH.
Eye witnesses said the driver of the speeding bus proceeding from Vadamadurai to Vedasandur lost control of the vehicle while negotiating a bridge. The vehicle dashed against the van, uprooted a concrete electric post, snapped live power cable and a palm tree and overturned in an agricultural field on the other side of the road.
The van was badly damaged and its seats and tyres were strewn on the field. A calf and a cow were thrown out of the van. Villagers were carrying the cattle to a nearby veterinary clinic from Komberipatti. Police struggled to remove the bodies from the van.
“We heard a deafening sound, and saw the bus overturning. We could not cross the road because a live electric cable fell across the road,” said Sellappa Gounder, an eyewitness.
Villagers saw the bus driver running into a sugarcane field.
One of the injured told the police that the bus driver was speaking on his mobile phone while driving when the accident occurred.
Deputy Superintendent of Police K. Mohan Kumar said rash driving could be the reason for the accident. The van could not go fast as it transported cattle.
Traffic was closed on the road for an hour.
