CHENNAI: A 32-year-old man died as a private bus in which he was travelling fell into a roadside pit near Chengalpattu late Saturday night. At least 30 passengers sustained minor injuries.
The deceased, Manikandan, a resident of Arumbakkam, had reportedly boarded the bus as its standby driver. The bus with 45 passengers was headed to Marthandam from Ambattur as it met with the accident near Pazhaveli in Chengalpattu district, said Chengalpattu Taluk police.
Driver Arun Kumar (32) was unwell and likely lost control of the bus. Manikandan was called in as his substitute. Soon after the accident passengers broke open the windows and escaped. However, Manikandan got stuck between two seats and could not get out. He died on the spot.
The police along with the fire and rescue personnel rushed to the spot soon after passersby who saw the accident alerted them. Manikandan’s body was sent for a postmortem to a government hospital. The injured were sent for treatment to the same hospital. A case has been registered. A probe is underway to ascertain the cause of the accident.