At least eight persons, including a pregnant woman, were killed and several others received injuries in a road accident in the Uthamasolapuram area of Salem district on Friday, after a Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) bus lost control and rammed into vehicles coming from the opposite direction.
According to the police, the TNSTC bus was travelling from Coimbatore Central Bus Stand to Salem. While passing through Uthamasolapuram on the Bengaluru–Coimbatore National Highway, the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle. The bus veered off its lane, crashed through the road divider, and entered the opposite lane. It then collided head-on with a tempo and a two-wheeler, resulting in a devastating impact.
Six people travelling in the tempo—identified as Selvaraj, Murugan, Amutha, Nithishka, Jeevika, and Sathya—died on the spot. Two others, Irusayi and Manikandan, who were on the two-wheeler, also succumbed to their injuries at the scene.
Following the incident, personnel from Kondalampatti Police Station rushed to the spot and launched rescue operations.
Injured passengers from the bus were immediately shifted to a nearby hospital. However, the exact number of injured has not yet been officially confirmed. The bodies of the deceased were sent to the Salem Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College Hospital for post-mortem.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the accident may have been caused either by overspeeding or a mechanical failure, though the exact cause is yet to be determined. Police have registered a case, and further investigation is underway.
Meanwhile, CCTV footage of the incident has surfaced on social media, showing the bus crashing into the oncoming vehicles after crossing the divider.
Reacting to the tragedy, AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami expressed grief and extended condolences to the families of the victims. He also raised concerns over the maintenance of government buses, stating that such accidents have become increasingly frequent in the state.
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