Udhagamandalam: Four people died and 27 were injured when the bus carrying them toppled near Gudalur on Saturday night. The deceased were identified as Ravikumar Naik,
28, Ganesh,
18, Lakshmi,
38 and Sudha, 43. All of them were members of the Sri Sakthi Seva Sangh in Thingalur in Bengaluru,
police sources said.
“After visiting Ooty, the group was heading towards Madikeri. When the bus was overtaking another vehicle near the first hairpin bend on the Ooty-Gudalur Road in Thavalaimalai around 8.30pm, the driver lost control over it. Four passengers died on the spot,” a police officer said.
“The injured were taken to the Gudalur Government Hospital for treatment. Among them, three passengers were treated as in-patients and were discharged on Sunday. Others left for Mysore for further treatment,” the officer added.
The bodies of the diseased were handed over to their families after post mortem at the GH.
Naduvattam police have registered a case.
Tourist vehicles heading to Karnataka often rush to cross the Thorappalli Check Post as it closes by 8.30pm. The stretch between Thorappalli Check Post and Kakkanallah Check Post in Karnataka is closed from 8.30pm to 6am as it is a tiger reserve area.
“During the summer season, as many as 10 vehicles met with accidents between Naduvattam and Gudalur, a stretch of 17km,” a social activist said. “After visiting the tourist spots here, Karnataka tourists leave Ooty by 6pm. Crossing Thorappalli, which is 50km away, by 8.30pm is impossible given the heavy traffic. If they don’t hurry, they get stranded at the check post till the next morning. Authorities should impose a speed limit in the Naduvattam-Gudalur stretch to check road accidents,” he said.