KARUR: Four people, including a 13-year-old girl, were killed and 15 others injured in a road accident on the Salem–Karur National Highway near Vennaimalai in Karur district during the early hours of Saturday.
The accident occurred when an Omni bus bound for Nagercoil, travelling from Bengaluru via Karur, collided head-on with a tourist van heading to Yercaud in Salem district from Kovilpatti in Tuticorin district, police said.
The bus reportedly jumped the central median after the driver lost control of the vehicle when it rammed into a tractor travelling ahead at speed, according to police.
All four deceased were travelling in the tourist van, including the van driver, identified as D. Sasikumar, 52, of Tuticorin. Several passengers from the tourist van, along with the drivers of the Omni bus and tractor, were among those injured.
Karur police, along with personnel from the Fire and Rescue Services Department, rushed to the scene. The bodies were retrieved and sent to the Karur Government Medical College Hospital for post-mortem. The injured have been admitted to both government and private hospitals in Karur for treatment.