One Killed, 18 Injured as Bus Crashes into Tractor on Trichy-Chennai Highway
A 48-year-old passenger was killed and 18 others were injured early Thursday morning after a private sleeper coach bus crashed into a borewell tractor on the Trichy-Chennai National Highway near Madurantakam in Chengalpet.
The private sleeper coach bus was transporting 36 passengers and was on its way from Karur to Chennai when the collision occurred.
According to the police, the accident took place while the bus was crossing Arappedu village. A borewell tractor travelling ahead of the bus had slowed down and hit its brakes to allow a motorcyclist to cross the road safely. The speeding private bus then rammed into the rear of the tractor.
The impact of the collision caused the bus to veer off the road and overturn into a roadside ditch.
Upon witnessing the accident, local residents and passing motorists rushed to help. They managed to break open the door of the overturned bus and rescued the trapped passengers from inside the vehicle.
The Acharapakkam police arrived at the scene and registered a case. Police officers identified the deceased passenger as Chellamuthu, 48, a resident of Karur. Chellamuthu died on the spot due to the impact of the crash. His body was recovered and sent to the Chengalpet Government Hospital for a postmortem examination.
Eighteen other passengers sustained various injuries during the crash. Emergency responders transported the injured individuals to the Chengalpet District Government Hospital and the Madurantakam Government Hospital, where they were admitted for medical treatment.
The remaining passengers, who escaped the accident with either minor injuries or no injuries at all, were subsequently boarded onto another bus to complete their journey to Chennai.
The crash caused significant disruption to vehicular movement on the busy Trichy-Chennai National Highway. Traffic was halted and disrupted for nearly an hour during the early morning hours as emergency services worked at the scene. The police have confirmed that an investigation into the accident is currently underway.
