Three injured in six-vehicle pile-up on Thoppur ghat road in Dharmapuri
DHARMAPURI : Three people were injured after six vehicles were involved in a serial collision on the Thoppur ghat road in Dharmapuri district on Wednesday.
“A fuel tanker which was en route to Salem from Bengaluru collided with two other trucks and three cars ahead at around 11:30 am at the Thoppur ghat road on the Salem-Krishnagiri national highway. The driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle, rammed the other vehicles, and stopped after hitting a mudwall set up here to avert an accident. The injured were identified as Pachaiammal (53) from Samichettipatti, Siva (33) from Pudhupatti, Rajesh (33) from Veppilaipatti,” said Thoppur police.
The injured were admitted to the Dharmapuri Medical College Hospital after the Thoppur police administered first aid.
“The accident could have been caused by brake failure of the fuel truck owing to lack of vacuum in the brake system. We are investigating the matter and a case has been registered. Tollgate staff were involved in clearing the area. Traffic flow was disrupted for over three hours,” added police sources.
Four people died and 12 were injured only last month at the same location near the Thoppur double bridge after a speeding truck lost control and collided with four other vehicles.
In 2022, due to frequent accidents, the Thoppur ghat road was declared a black spot. According to a study conducted by the Regional Transport Office, between 2012 and 2021, 558 accidents occurred in Thoppur which left 684 people injured and 208 people dead.
In 2022, 92 people were injured and nine deaths were reported. In 2023 also nine fatalities were reported in the stretch.
In December 2023, NHAI announced that an elevated highway would be constructed in Thoppur at the cost of Rs 775 crore.