3 Killed, 31 Hurt as Buses Collide Near Villupuram

VILLUPURAM: Three persons were killed and 31 others injured after an SETC bus hit a TNSTC bus near Villupuram town early Tuesday.

According to police, the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation bus, which was going to Chennai from Tiruchy with 40 passengers, was about to enter the Villupuram Town bus-stand from the Tiruchy-Chennai national highway, when the State Express Transport Corporation bus plying from Chennai to Aranthangi rammed into the side of the TNSTC bus.

Under the impact, Pandiyan (40) of Visalampattinam in Sivagangai district, Mohan(42) of Kulithalai near Karur and another unidentified person were killed on the spot. Meanwhile, 31 others, including the SETC bus driver Natraj, passengers Vimala (46), Muthukumar (39) of Puthukottai, Ganeshkumar (22) of Theni, Mariammal (50), Thiyagarajan (40) of Karur, Dineshkumar (13) of Aranthangi and velmurugan (39) of Chidambaram sustained injuries.

On information, the Villupuram taluk police  sent the injured to the Government Villupuram Hospital and the Government Medical College Hospital in Mundiampakkam. They also sent the bodies to the Mundiampakkam Medical College Hospital for an autopsy. Two among the injured were later shifted to the JIPMER Hospital, Puducherry, for advanced treatment.

A case was registered and inquiries revealed that both drivers did not give proper signal, resulting in the accident. Police are inquiring further to identify the deceased person.

Owing to the accident, traffic on the Chennai-Tiruchy NH was affected for more than two hours. Traffic was restored after the two  buses were removed from the spot.