COIMBATORE: It was a narrow escape for 30 passengers travelling from Chennai to Coimbatore on an omni bus on Saturday morning, after the vehicle rammed into a two-wheeler, turned turtle and went up in flames, at Kaliyanur near Sankagiri in Salem district, along the Coimbatore-Salem National Highway.
The two-wheeler driver, a security guard, was flung from the bike and killed, while eight bus passengers, including two children, miraculously sustained only minor injuries.
The bus driver, currently absconding, has been booked by Sankagiri police for negligent and rash driving. A search is on to nab him.
According to sources, around 6.25 am, the omni bus driver Ashok Kumar suddenly slammed the brakes to avoid hitting the two-wheeler moving ahead of the bus.
Cops blame bus driver for road mishap
Bus swerved hard but still grazed the two-wheeler, throwing its driver, P Periyasamy of Chinnagoundanur, onto the highway. The 60-year-old man died at the scene, police said. The bus, meanwhile, flipped over on to the side of the road.
While some bus passengers managed to crawl out from under the wreck, lorry drivers on the highway and other passersby jumped into action and broke the bus windows to help others escape before the vehicle went up in flames. A fire and rescue services team, led by Sankagiri station officer K Ramesh Kumar, rushed to the spot and struggled for an hour to put out the fire.
“We managed to douse the flames by 7.30 am, using water from our own supplies and with the help of a private lorry owner. Police then cleared the vehicle from the highway using an earthmover. Traffic conditions returned to normal after a gap of two hours by 8.30 am,” said Ramesh Kumar.
Initial inquiries suggested a leak in the omni bus’s diesel tank could be the cause of the fire, police said. “We have directed the brake inspector of the regional transport office to submit a report regarding the cause of the fire,” a police officer told TNIE. Police squarely placed the blame for the accident on the bus driver’s rash driving. The 8 injured passengers received treatment from the Sankagiri Government Hospital.