Six die in road accident as minivan crashes into bus in Tamil Nadu

One pedestrian and five people were reportedly killed in a road accident in Tamil Nadu on Monday morning. The accident took place when a minivan crashed into the rear of a Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) bus that had stopped to drop off a passenger.

The bus, heading from Salem to Bengaluru, had stopped to drop a passenger off at the roadside near Kaveripattinam. The passenger, while crossing the road, was hit by the minivan, which was carrying eight people. The minivan was heading to Bengaluru from Bhaminivani in Erode district, reported Times of India. The vehicle then lost control and crashed into the rear of the TNSTC bus, killing five.

The passenger trying to cross the road has been identified as 38-year-old Devaraj, a resident of Kaveripattanam. The four deceased passengers travelling in the minivan have been identified as Prashanth (28), Linga (28), Surendar (29), Sivakumar (28). The identity of the vehicle’s driver, who is also deceased, is yet to be established, reported The Hindu. The other persons who were injured in the accident have been shifted to the government hospital in Krishnagiri.

Telugu Samayam reported the police as saying that fog in the early hours of the morning reduced visibility for the driver of the minivan. The accident was reportedly caused because the driver was unable to see the passenger cross the road. 

On January 30, the Tamil Nadu AIDS Control Society joint Director Dr J Stanley Michael died in a road accident, when the car he was travelling in crashed into a truck. The accident took place near Siruganur of Trichy district.

On January 12, two people died in another road accident in the state when a minitruck crashed into a stationary truck at Kovilpatti in Tuticorin district. The accident took place on the Kanyakumari national highway, and one of the deceased was an eight-year-old girl.