A 70-year-old woman and her 52-year-old son died, while five other family members were injured here on Wednesday night as a bus collided with a car at Pazhaiyanur near Madhurantagam.
The injured were hospitalized while the bodies of the deceased were returned to their family after post-mortem. The bus driver is also injured and admitted to hospital.
Police said Punniyavathi (70), Purushottaman (52) along with the latter’s sons, Rajasekaran (23), Gunasekaran (23), Purushottaman’s wife Nagamani (50) as well as two other relatives, were travelling from Rameshwaram in a car to their residence in Vanniyar Chatram, Red Hills.
It started raining when the car approached the GST Road. When it reached Pazhaiyanur, near Madhurandhagam, at around 11am, an SETC bus heading from Chennai to Karur, suddenly dashed with the car.
Police said that the bus-driver was unable to see the car due to the pouring rains. The car was reportedly thrown away and hit a mini-lorry that was behind.
Punniyavathi died on the spot, while an injured Purushottaman died on the way to hospital, police said.
The others injured in the car were admitted to one of the private hospitals nearby. Police added that the bus driver was also injured and hospitalised, and was yet to be arrested.
“We had to break the car to get the victims out. The driver has suffered a head-injury and currently in Chengalpattu Government College Hospital. As soon as he recovers, he will be brought to the police station by one of the state transportation officials and we will arrest him.
Right now we have booked a case on him under sections 279 (rash driving), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal), 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life) and 304A (death by negligence) of the IPC”, said inspector Ashok Mehta of Padalam Police Station.