Fatal Bus Collision on Madurai-Tiruchi Highway Claims Six Lives, Injures 40

Six people were killed and 40 others injured in a collision between two buses on the Madurai-Tiruchi highway in Tamil Nadu's Madurai district early Monday morning. The accident occurred near Karungalakudi around 3:30 a.m., according to police officials.

The incident involved a private omni bus heading to Marthandam and a Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) bus en route to Tiruchi. The omni bus driver lost control of the speeding vehicle, causing it to swerve right, cross the median, and collide with the oncoming TNSTC bus. The TNSTC bus overturned upon impact.

Following the collision, the omni bus veered left, again jumping the median, and came to a halt only after hitting a concrete bus shelter on the side of the four-lane highway, said N. Devanathan, Superintendent of Police, Madurai district.

Among the deceased were three passengers of the TNSTC bus: P. Anantharaj (46) from Tiruchi, K. Mohammed Yasin (60) from Tiruvarur, and G. Surya (29) from Tiruchi. Two others traveling in the omni bus, J. Siriyapushpam (56) from Tirunelveli and J. Abraham, a crew member from Thisayanvilai in Tirunelveli district, also died. Additionally, C. Perumal (70) of Vanjinagaram, who was sleeping in the bus shelter, sustained a head injury and later succumbed at Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH).

Forty passengers and crew members from both buses sustained injuries. They were taken to Government Hospital in Melur, GRH, and a private hospital in Madurai for treatment. While many were treated as outpatients, 19 victims were admitted. A girl from Tiruchi suffered a shoulder fracture, and several others had head injuries.

Senior police officers and firefighters arrived at the scene and conducted rescue operations. The Madurai district police are investigating the cause of the accident.

Madurai District Collector Nishanth Krishna and MP Su Venkatesan visited the hospitals and spoke with doctors regarding the treatment of the injured.