Thoothukudi (Tamil Nadu) [India], April 22 : A private omni bus travelling from Coimbatore to Nagercoil met with an accident near Moopanpatti Vilakku on the national highway in Kovilpatti, Thoothukudi district. The bus collided with a stationary cement mixer tanker lorry parked on the road.
Kovilpatti East Police Station informed that the bus, carrying passengers, collided with a stationary cement mixer tanker lorry parked on the road. As a result, the front portion of the bus was completely damaged. The driver of the bus, Saravanan from Udumalpet, along with eight women and a child, were among the 20 people injured in the accident.
The police informed that the bus driver was trapped in the front portion of the vehicle and was unable to come out. Upon receiving information about the accident, the Kovilpatti Fire and Rescue Services rushed to the spot and rescued the trapped driver.
The injured were given first aid and later transported by 108 ambulance services to the Kovilpatti Government Hospital for further treatment. Due to the accident, traffic on the national highway was disrupted for about an hour, according to the Kovilpatti East Police Station.
Police from the Kovilpatti East Police Station arrived at the scene, regulated traffic, and restored normalcy. A case has been registered, and further investigation is underway.
In a separate incident, on April 18, nine people died, and several others were critically injured after a tourist van plunged off a hairpin bend into a gorge at the Valparai hills in Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu.
The incident occured when a vehicle lost control at the 13th hairpin bend and plunged to the 9th hairpin bend, according to Valparai Police.
The tourist van carrying a group of 13 tourists from Perinthalmanna, Keralam, met with an accident while descending from Valparai after sightseeing. The vehicle driven by Mohammed Fasith (21) is reported to have lost control while negotiating the 13th hairpin bend. Consequently, the vehicle skidded off the road and plunged down towards the 9th hairpin bend, according to a press note from police.
Upon receipt of information, the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Valparai Sub-Division, and the Inspector of Police, Valparai, rushed to the scene of the occurrence and supervised the rescue and relief operations.
A massive rescue operation was initiated, 16 ambulances reached the spot to manage the casualties, and 13 ambulances returned to Pollachi Government Hospital with injured occupants.