8 killed, 63 hurt in bus smash

By Our Staff Reporter

DINDIGUL, SEPT. 29. Eight persons were killed and 63 persons were injured when two TSTC buses collided head-on at Murugampatti near Chinnalapatti in Dindigul district today.

According to police, the buses were trying to cross a narrow road near the railway bridge.

Of the injured, 23 were admitted to the Dindigul Government Hospital and 10, including eight women, referred to the Madurai Government Rajaji Hospital.

The other 30 were treated as out-patients in the Dindigul hospital.

Of the eight diseased four were identified: Kamatchi (56) driver of the Dindigul-Nilakottai town bus (Madurai Division IV), Manishankaran (56) driver of the Tiruchendur-Erode bus (Coimbatore Division II), Selvaraj (16) of Murugabavanam and Damayanthi (55) of Govindapuram in Dindigul town. The bodies were sent for postmortem.

The front portion of the Erode-bound bus was completely damaged and three-fourths of the town bus were ripped apart.

Volunteers of the NSS and the public struggled for two hours to remove the injured from the mangled remains of the buses.

Even though the conductor of the town bus and the public informed the TSTC office at Dindigul, no ambulance came to the spot even two hours after the accident. The accident spot was just 15 km from the town.

A lone police inspector from Ambathurai who came to the spot along with a few policemen were gheraoed by the public who sent them back demanding an ambulance service. A recovery van came to the spot before the arrival of an ambulance.

Villagers of Murugampatti and Perumalpatti recovered the bodies from the mangled remains of the buses and transported the injured to Dindigul by private vehicles.

The people blocked traffic as neither an ambulance nor officials came to remove the bodies lying on the roadside.

The agitated villagers blocked a bus (No.9J) proceeding to Nilakottai and after disembarking all passengers forced the crew to carry bodies to the hospital. Ambathurai police have registered a case and are investigating.

Government assistance

The Chief Minister, Mr. O.Paneerselvam, has granted Rs. 50,000 from the CM's Relief Fund to the families of each of the persons killed in the accident.

According to an official release, Rs. 15,000 will be given to those who have suffered grievous injuries and Rs. 6,000 to those who received simple injuries.

2 die in van-lorry smash

Our Tuticorin Staff reporter reports:

In another accident, two persons were killed and 12 injured when a lorry hit a van from behind on the Tuticorin- Tiruchendur highway near Sathya Nagar on the outskirts of the port town around 3 p.m.. S.Thangam (50) of Alangulam died on the spot while the van driver, M.Isakkimuthu (25) died in the Tuticoirn Medical College Hospital. The lorry driver, M.Vairasingam, has been arrested.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Southern States
Previous : Curb Sangh Parivar: Christians council
Next     : Time extended for repaying coop loans