VELLORE: Two persons were killed and fifteen others injured in a road accident near Pallikonda when a Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation bus collided with a container lorry in the early hours of Friday.
The deceased were identified as S Poondurai (63), a resident of Chennai and bus driver R Vijayakumar (45), a resident of Shimoga district in Karnataka. Poondurai died on the spot and Vijayakumar succumbed to injuries in the Government Vellore Medical College and Hospital.
The government bus from Shimoga was heading to Chennai and collided with the container lorry, which was heading to Bengaluru from Chennai. “When the bus reached near Pallikonda around 6 am, the driver lost control of the vehicle. The bus jumped over the median and collided with the lorry,” said a police official. He also added,“Initial inquiry revealed that the driver had fallen asleep, which led to the accident.”
On information, Pallikonda police officials reached the spot and rescued the injured passengers and admitted them to the Government Hospital.
A case was filed in Pallikonda police station and inquiry is in on.