CHENNAI: Nine persons, including eight women headed to a relative’s funeral, died in an accident on the Chennai-Bengaluru highway near Kancheepuram on Sunday, after the mini truck they were travelling in was hit by a bus.
The 24-member group from Sirunamalli village in Vellore were taking the exit to Thamal village when a private company’s staff bus rammed the Tata Ace. Some members who survived the accident said the mini-truck had rolled over thrice before coming to a halt along the highway.
While eight people died on the spot, one person died at the Kancheepuram District Government Hospital, where the remaining members were rushed for treatment. According to hospital authorities, seven members have been referred to Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital and the ICH in Egmore.
The group had intended to attend the funeral of Karpagam Perumal’s niece, Nalini, who had succumbed to burns after putting up a brief fight at Kilpauk Medical College Hospital. While Karpagam and her husband Perumal escaped with minor injuries, Perumal lost his mother, brother, two sisters and brother-in-law to the accident.
The deceased were identified as K Parimalam (45), M Panjami (50), S Thulakanam (50) R Muthammal (60) M Raalikanni (52), K Indira (41) V Sunitha (45) and M Alavattan (52) and M Chinnaponnu (50).
“After postmortem, Nalini’s body had reached her marital village Thamal on Sunday morning. Women from our village decided to attend the funeral,” said one of Karpagam’s relatives, who had come to attend Nalini’s funeral from Tindivanam.
The mini truck driver Muthu sustained a fracture and minor injuries. Signs of post-traumatic stress was evident in some victims. One of the women injured in the accident, Meghala kept asking for her baby (worried that he had died in the accident) though he had never gotten onto the fateful ride.
High tension prevailed at the Kancheepuram District Hospital with demands for an immediate postmortem. However, with night setting in and with no written request from the District Collector or the SP to expedite the procedure to avoid a law and order problem, officials at the hospital told Express that family members would have to wait till Monday to get the bodies.
Rural Industries Minister P Benjamin visited the injured at the hospital and offered condolences to the families of the deceased.
Members of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi visited the hospital to console the families. “The authorities of the company (whose bus was involved in the accident) has not even come to visit the injured or console the families of the deceased. They should be held accountable,” said Vettrivalavan, a local VCK leader.
While some sources told Express that the company had agreed to pay families of the deceased a sum of `35,000 each, it is evident that the families would not accept the amount. “For a company that sells each bike at more than a lakh, the sum offered is a pittance,” said Vettrivalavan.
Rural Industries Minister, VCK members visit victims at hospital
High tension prevailed at the Kancheepuram District Hospital with demands for an immediate postmortem. However, with night setting in and with no written request from the District Collector/Superintendent of Police to expedite the procedure to avoid a law and order problem, officials at the hospital told Express that family members would have to wait till Monday to get the bodies.
Rural Industries Minister P Benjamin visited the injured at the hospital and offered condolences to the families of the deceased. Members of VCK visited the hospital to console the family members. “The authorities of the company (whose bus was involved in the accident) has not even come to visit the injured or console the families of the deceased.
They should be held accountable,” said Vettrivalavan, a local VCK leader. While some sources told Express that the company had agreed to pay families of the deceased a sum of `35,000 each, it is evident that the families would not accept the amount. “For a company that sells each bike at more than a lakh, the sum offered is a pittance,” said Vettrivalavan. Police officials said that the driver of the bus, who had initially absconded fearing public backlash, has surrendered and has been booked.