TIRUNELVELI: A retired teacher was killed, and around 20 passengers sustained injuries after a private omnibus they were travelling in overturned on the Tirunelveli-Kanniyakumari Highway in Tuckerammalpuram on the outskirts of Tirunelveli city on Wednesday morning.
"The deceased, identified as R Prisco (64) from Levinjipuram village, was travelling on the bus that departed from Velankanni of Nagapattinam district, on Tuesday night, heading towards Thiruvananthapuram carrying 37 passengers.
The accident occurred near a private college on the outskirts of Tirunelveli when the driver, Somiya Narayanan of Sivaganga, allegedly fell asleep at the wheel, causing the vehicle to topple. The driver fled the scene immediately after the incident," said sources.
Sources added that fire and rescue services personnel from Tirunelveli rescued passengers trapped inside the bus. Eleven seriously injured passengers were admitted to Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital for treatment, while others received first aid.
The overturned bus disrupted traffic briefly, and police personnel removed it after conducting a preliminary inquiry. The city police have registered a case against the driver and launched a search for him.