THANJAVUR: Four passengers of a private bus were electrocuted when it came in contact with a power line on the roadside after getting stuck in a pit.
According to sources, the bus started from Kallanai to Thanjavur on Tuesday morning. There were around 50 passengers in the bus as it crossed Tirukkattuppalli on its way to Kandiyur. The bus stopped at Varahur road bus stop in Senthalai village and moved ahead about 100 metres when a lorry came in the opposite direction. As the driver steered the bus leftward to give way for the lorry, the two wheels on the left plunged into a pit filled with mud on the roadside.
The upper portion of the bus then came in contact with a power line on the roadside that was hanging at a low height. Those who were holding the steel hand rail of the bus on the foot board were impacted. Following this, the power line tripped and power was cut automatically.
Three men and a woman were instantaneously electrocuted and thrown outside the bus. A woman who was touching the hand rails was also injured in the accident. Other passengers rushed out of the bus. The injured woman was rushed to Senthalai Primary Health Centre (PHC) and then to Thanjavur Medical college hospital for treatment.
The electrocuted passengers were identified as T Natarajan (65) of Viluppanankurichi in Ariyalur district, M Ganesan (55) of Karuppur, R Kalyanaraman (65) and M Kausalya aka Kavitha (30) of Varahur. The injured woman was identified as Muniyammal (52).
Tirukkattupalli police registered a case and are on the lookout for the driver and conductor of the bus who fled after the incident.
Meanwhile, R Vaithilingam, Rajya Sabha MP, M Govinda Rao, District Collector, Rupesh Kumar Meena, DIG of police and Deshmukh Shekhar Sanjay, Superintendent of Police, visited the spot and held inquiries. D Chandrasekaran, DMK MLA of Tiruvaiyaru and M Rengasamy, Deputy General Secretary of AMMK, also visited the family members of the deceased and consoled them.