VILLUPURAM: A government bus driver was killed and over 20 passengers injured after the vehicle rammed into a stationary water tanker on the Chennai–Tiruchy National Highway near Tindivanam on Friday.
The deceased has been identified as Marimuthu (40), who was operating a Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) bus from Puducherry to Tindivanam. Police stated that the bus collided with a water tanker which was allegedly watering roadside plants near Omandur, without displaying proper warning signs.
The impact of the crash was so severe that Marimuthu died on the spot. More than 20 passengers sustained injuries, some of them serious. Ambulances from the 108 emergency service transported the injured to the Tindivanam Government Hospital and the Puducherry Government Hospital for treatment.
Eyewitnesses claimed the water tanker was parked on the roadside without hazard indicators or reflective signage, giving oncoming vehicles little time to react.
Tindivanam police have registered a case and launched an investigation. Authorities are also examining whether standard safety protocols were followed during the maintenance work on the highway.